Final Stand
by Reidluver
Summary: With Jiraiya's passing, Naruto realizes that the only option left to him is to defeat the Akatsuki--head on. When the time comes to leave, however, he discovers something amazing. How will he be able to take on the most dangerous shinobi in the world?
1. Chapter 1: The Decision

**DISCLAIMER: **This story is my view on how I wanted the final stand-off between Naruto and the Akatsuki to occur. It was started in 2008, so there are no connections to what actually happens. Naruto already knows about what was revealed in manga chapter 439 because I'm going off on what I wrote in The Truth. Also, in my story the Sasuke Retrieval Arc _**NEVER **_happened. It's important you understand this from the beginning.

**Please enjoy! **

**

* * *

**Naruto stood there frozen as he and Shizune tried to comfort a sobbing Tsunade while trying to deal with it himself.

The news had come via some strange toad in Tsunade's office while Naruto was meeting with her.

"_The way things are going Naruto," Tsunade had began, "it seems like we're going to have to—"_

_She was interrupted by a puff of smoke that suddenly appeared on her desk which soon gave view to a small toad. Upon seeing the amphibian Naruto's throat went dry and his palms grew sweaty, as if his body knew something he didn't._

"_Does Jiraiya send news from his mission?" the Hokage asked, her voice dangerously tense._

"_My apologies, Hokage-sama," the frog bowed remorsefully, "but I am here on his last orders. While going against the Akatsuki leader Pein, Jiraiya lost his life in an incredibly epic battle, truly worthy of one of the Legendary Sannin. His death was a valiant and courageous one." _

Once the truth had sunk in, Naruto winced, worried Tsunade's rage would likely destroy all of Konoha, but she just put her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. Shizune and Naruto stared at each other, nervous at the strange response. Then her sobs grew in intensity and soon she was crying uncontrollably, progressing into hysterics.

It truly pained Naruto to see Tsunade like this, a woman as dear to him as any mother could be. There was also the fact that Jiraiya . . . died.

As Naruto put his arm around Tsunade and patted her back comfortingly, he numbly thought back to the whole two years he had spent with Ero-Sennin, as well as the time he helped before the third task.

He gave a small chuckle that sounded more like a muffled sob. Naruto remembered how he would always have to get the idiot's attention by performing his Sexy Jutsu which always worked, no matter what. How they would play jokes on passerby, laughing heartedly when people fell prey to their childish pranks while they hid in the underbrush, occasionally suffering from the objects thrown at them.

He remembered how much he enjoyed his stories (when the Sannin wasn't talking about his pervy books) as they sat around a campfire. Naruto's eyes would widen in amazement at all the amazing stories of battles that made him one of the Legendary Sannin. He enjoyed hearing all about how Jiraiya and Tsunade would tease each other, but then fall in a solemn mood as he and Jiraiya agreed that there were some women in the world too scary for words, chiefly Tsunade and Sakura.

The atmosphere was always energetic and bright with Jiraiya. Naruto would tell stories of pranks he used to pull when he was younger, and instead of receiving lectures like usual, Jiraiya would crack up and tell of a time where _he _would pull a similar prank. One night though, Jiraiya told stories about a completely different prankster.

"_If I remember correctly," he began, a mischievous grin creeping on his face that Naruto knew meant he was in for a real treat, "There was this one boy who would always cause trouble, but he was a genius at creating his own jutsus."_

"_Were any of them as good as mine?" Naruto asked with a smirk, taking a large slurp of ramen._

_Jiraiya chuckled, "I guess not. They were great for battle though. Anyways, there was this family who had moved from the nearby Whirlpool country. They had a daughter who would really get on his nerves. So one day, he decided to put his skills to work and get revenge."_

"_He spent a whole night devising this plan, just to make sure everything would go perfectly. The next day, he came out to greet her with a few of his friends, whom he had told that he was going to play the trick on. However, when the time came, it turns out that she figured it out beforehand and caused the plan to backfire, causing him to prank himself!"_

Because of what Kakashi had revealed to his a month or so ago, Naruto knew now that Jiraiya was talking about his parents, and was grateful for the memories that Jiraiya had been secretly giving him, because he talked about the Fourth Hokage a lot.

_How could he die?_ Naruto thought furiously as tears started to slowly slide down his face.

* * *

Half an hour later, Naruto glanced at Tsunade, who had just started to calm down and realized that he didn't want to be near anyone anymore. Shizune noticed the change in his expression and nudged her head towards the door, signaling that she'd take over from her. Naruto nodded and left without a second glance.

He barely noticed where he was going, his feet just automatically carried him in the direction of his apartment, his mind in a daze.

"Good morning, Naruto!"

The genin looked up and saw Kakashi and Sakura headed his way, both of them carrying a stack of materials in their hands; Kakashi some books, and Sakura some boxes.

"Do you think you could help us, Naruto? We need to bring these to—" she paused as she and Kakashi noticed his odd behavior.

"Naruto? What happened?" Sakura asked quietly, her voice slightly shrill out of concern.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said sternly when the genin did not respond. It was almost unnerving to see him with such a depressed and downcast expression.

"Ero-Sennin is dead," he whispered so quietly a normal person would have missed it, but being shinobi they heard it clearly.

Kakashi's visible eye widened and he dropped the books he had been previously holding, not even bothering to pick them up, leaving them scattered in the dirt. "Th—that's . . . impossible!" he protested hoarsely. Jiraiya was a legendary shinobi, having survived countless wars and just—just couldn't die!

He was one of the last people whom Kakashi could discuss Minato-sensei with, whenever he was feeling depressed and missed his old sensei, seeing how Jiraiya had been _his_ sensei. Jiraiya had been one of the last reminders of his old family, since Jiraiya would join his old team whenever he was available, teasing Minato by telling them embarrassing stories. Kakashi vividly recalled the confrontation he had with Jiraiya after Minato's death:

"_You all right, kid?" Kakashi hastily glanced up from the Memorial Stone and noticed Jiraiya standing there, looking solemn. The jounin shrugged, turning his attention to the newly engraved name, Namikaze Minato. _

"_I heard from Sarutobi that you're taking care of little Naruto," Jiraiya continued, only to get a nod from the boy. "I'm very proud of you for doing that," he said quietly, causing the jounin to look at him in surprise. _

"_I will do my best to visit whenever I can, because I'm practically a grandfather!" Jiraiya chuckled. "Here's a present from me to you, something that your sensei always loved to read." With that the Sannin pulled forth a small book from under his tunic and handed it to Kakashi. _

_The 15 year old examined it curiously, __Icha Icha Paradise__. "These are your pervy books," he realized aloud. Jiraiya appeared indignant. _

"_I'll have you know that these books are renowned all over the world! They make a man out of you, and seeing as how you have to take care of the little tyke, I figure that it's about time that you read them as well. Besides," Jiraiya added solemnly, "Minato truly enjoyed them."_

_Kakashi's eye widened as he realized what Jiraiya was trying to do. Of course, it was to introduce him to the "wonders" of the books he wrote, but at the same time, Jiraiya was providing him with a way to connect with the deceased Hokage. _

"_Thank you," he said quietly, turning to the first page. Jiraiya burst into a wide grin. _

"'_Atta boy!" he said proudly. "Now, how about you take me to see this little Naruto?"_

Since then, Jiraiya and Kakashi enjoyed each others company, trying to deal with the sadness they both inherited that fateful night. _How could he be dead?_

Sakura gasped and stepped backwards, using the nearby wall as support. Because she was carrying delicate medical supplies, there was no way she could drop it if she did not want to incur Tsunade's wrath, which apparently would now be incredibly powerful with Jiraiya's death.

She recalled the time when Jiraiya took them to find Sasuke. At first she thought he was an incredibly perverted old man with a one track mind and did everything on impulse. Over time, however, she grew to care for him, though not as much as Naruto. Sakura couldn't imagine how awful and sad her teammate must be feeling at the moment.

"Naruto?" She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at her with sad eyes.

"I'll be fine. You'd better help Shizune with baachan." Sakura nodded and squeezed his shoulder before taking off in the direction of the Hokage mansion.

Naruto and Kakashi were silent for a moment, then the jounin bent down to pick up the forgotten books, wiping off the dirt as he did so.

"Are you all right, Naruto? You know, it's okay to cr—"

"Leave me alone!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to stop the tears from falling. Kakashi nodded solemnly, not at all offended by the outburst, seeing as how he had acted worse in his past.

"I'll see you later," he said quietly, leaving the young genin who then immediately took off towards his apartment, burst through the door and collapsed by his bed, sobbing for the man he cared so much for.

* * *

The next day, Kakashi, Sakura, and Shizune were in the Hokage's office with a very subdued Tsunade.

"As you well know," she began slowly, her voice slurred by the sake she had consumed earlier, "This news means that the Akatsuki is going to make their move any day now, and we have to be prepared. Pein might even come here personally to take Naruto, and if he gets the Nine-Tailed Fox, it will only be a matter of time before he has power to take over the entire world, subjecting all ninja countries to his will. We have to take him and his members out without giving them Naruto. Any ideas?"

The other three occupants stood there for a second, furiously racking their brains for an answer, but coming up with nothing.

"I have one."

Everyone's attention was directed to the door, where a stoic Naruto stood, determination etched in every facet of his face.

"What is it, Naruto?" Tsunade asked, curious in spite of herself.

The genin did not answer but stepped forward, until he was near the Hokage's desk, and surveyed each of them in turn before glancing at Tsunade with an intense gaze.

"I'm going to take on the Akatsuki once and for all."

There was complete silence as everyone processed what the blonde said. Needless to say, they had already somewhat suspected that, but it still was a shock.

"Idiot!" Sakura yelled. "You may have killed Kakuzu, but we have no idea how powerful the others are! Besides, even Jiraiya—" She stopped when Naruto glared at her, making his point that there was no way he would change his mind.

Tsunade sighed. "And how do you plan on doing this?" The genin fell silent, and shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea. I may not be a strategist like Shikamaru, but I know that the longer we let the Akatsuki to do as they wish, the more dangerous they will be to the rest of the world! Don't you see? You have to do as I say! We can't just sit back and wait for them to attack! We have to take the offensive! We have to get them as soon as possible! We have—" He paused when Tsunade held up her hand.

"I don't remember objecting to your idea, Naruto. In fact, I completely agree with you," she smirked.

"Tsunade-sama! Surely you don't intend—" Shizune protested. The Hokage waved her off.

"Just because I agree with Naruto doesn't mean that I don't have a plan," she informed them angrily.

Naruto was ecstatic. Tsunade agreed with him, and she had a plan!

"I know that you want to just infiltrate their hideout right now, Naruto," she continued, peering at him with an intense glare, "but let's be reasonable. I will allow you to do as you wish, but on the condition that you spend the next two weeks training. Now don't look at me like that!" she ordered as Naruto started to groan.

"You may have improved with all the training that you've done with Kakashi and Yamato, but you are nowhere near ready to take on any of the Akatsuki with the level you're at. You're no help if you die in vain. I actually want to extend this timeline to three weeks, but I know that it would be impossible to keep you here any longer." She sighed and stood up, walking over to the window and gazed out over the village, while everyone else waited silently for whatever else she had to say.

"Naruto, you will train under the direction of Captain Yamato for the next two weeks, and he will do with you as he sees fit. I want you to go back to your apartment and prepare, and then I will send Yamato to your apartment and from then on you are completely under his command. I want no complaining and for you to do exactly as he says." Naruto nodded and glanced at Kakashi.

"Kakashi is going to do something for me," Tsunade continued, answering Naruto's question, and causing the jounin to look at her in surprise. "Don't think that you're going into this battle all by yourself, Naruto. There will be a couple people from this village who will help you, because Jinchuuriki or not, you will not survive by your own." The genin nodded and quickly vacated the room.

Once he had left Tsunade sighed and sat back down, rubbing her temples. Sakura and Shizune glanced at each other in desperation while Kakashi started to grin, fully understanding Tsunade's plan.

"I see you get it now, Kakashi," Tsunade chuckled. "You know what to do now, yes?" The jounin nodded. "Great, you are dismissed."

He bowed respectively, then gave Sakura and Shizune a slight wave before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Tsunade-sama? What is it you want Kakashi to do? Why are you agreeing to this? What is your plan?" Sakura pleaded, feeling as if her world was crumbling before her eyes.

The Sannin fixed her two subordinates with a hard look before saying carefully, "The plan is not yet complete, but I have a pretty good idea of how it will end. First off, I need to get a message out to Shikamaru, who is currently in Suna on diplomatic relations. He is going to help me out with all the minor details." Shizune started to protest, but then realized it was futile.

"I will fetch our priority hawk," she said in exasperation.

"Good. Now, all will be revealed in time. Please have faith in me, because if we are able to get everything prepared, we have a chance. We only have two weeks to prepare, so let's go!" As her subordinates nodded and Shizune took off, Tsunade rubbed her temples while reaching for another bottle of sake. _We've got a lot of work to do._

_

* * *

_"Man, I'm never going to get used to this infernal heat," Shikamaru whined as he and Temari made their way to the Kazekage mansion.

The blonde smirked. "Always got to complain about something, don't you, crybaby?" she taunted. He chose to ignore her, and instead, he opened the door that led into the building and stepped backward to let her through. Temari's eyes widened for a second then she chuckled.

"Wow, didn't know you had manners. Looks like you're not completely pathetic."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and ignored the bait, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth while he followed the kunoichi. They continued their bickering until they reached Gaara's office.

"We're back boys!" Temari announced pleasantly, causing the Kazekage and Kankuro to glance up at her from the documents they were examining. Shikamaru was still amazed at all that had happened in the last while, with Kankuro and Gaara having almost perished from the attack by the Akatsuki. The puppet-master looked as goofy as ever, but he was stronger now and appeared to have matured a lot. He had heard that Gaara no longer hosted Shukaku, but the rings underneath his eyes did not disappear. He did, however, appear more relaxed and they did seem like they had shrunk slightly. His expression was also softer, not as ruthless as it had been when they first met.

Just as he was about to address the shinobi, a girl burst through the door.

"Kazekage-sama! We've just received a priority one message from Konoha!" Everyone in the room tensed immediately.

"What is it, Matsuri?" Gaara asked, with a slight edge of anticipation in his monotonous tone.

"That's just the thing! It said it was specifically addressed to a Nara Shikamaru!" Everyone glanced at the shocked chuunin, fully puzzled as to what it could be. He cleared his throat nervously, causing the frantic girl to bow and hand him the unopened scroll.

There was complete silence as Shikamaru read the message. _What the—_ He couldn't believe his eyes! _That idiot! Does she really plan on letting Naruto go through with this? _He read on. _That—that just might work! It's insane, but it just might work._ Once he got to the last sentence he slapped his forehead. _Two weeks? I guess it's a good thing I'm in Suna, but we are going to have to work like crazy to get this all ready in time. _He sighed, what a troublesome problem. He was the only one suitable for the job however, so there was no way around it.

"What is it?" Temari and Kankuro demanded, curiosity getting the best of them. It was infuriating having to watch all his emotions and not know what was happening. Gaara was even leaning over the table, his body completely tense and hands balled into fists. _Was Naruto all right?_

The chuunin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "This may come as a shock, but you need to hear me out until I'm done." He glanced up and fixed them with a dangerous smile, something none of them could have imagined from the lazy shinobi.

"We're taking on the Akatsuki."

* * *

For the next 10 days, Naruto was in a trance. He was training from sunup to sundown with Yamato, his mind filled with one purpose, _get ready_. The genin was training himself harder than he had ever trained himself before. He was vaguely aware of the rapid strength he was gaining, and kept refueling his resolve with the memories of Jiraiya, Asuma, and the memory of watching Gaara lie there dead on the floor while the blonde Akatsuki member sat on him. _That_ one would be his first target.

Naruto did not want to end up like that, did not want any other Jinchuuriki to suffer the same fate Gaara did. Thankfully, Chiyo-baachan had been there to give his friend a second chance, but from what he had heard from Kankuro, she was the last person to know how to complete that technique successfully. There would be no second chance for anyone else now.

At the end of the 10th day Yamato addressed Naruto as they sat down for dinner.

"You have really improved a great deal, Naruto," he said kindly. "You have succeeded anyone's expectations these last couple days. I have nothing else to teach you."

Naruto's ramen slipped from his chopsticks as he stared at the ANBU captain with surprise. "What are you talking about? I still have four more days that I can train! I need to use every chance I've go—" Yamato held up a hand to silence him.

"While that is true, the second most important aspect of training is proper sleep. We have done nothing but train these past 10 days, and have received very little sleep. It is only by your massive chakra capacity and soldier pills for me that we have been able to survive so long." He smiled with exhausted eyes.

"Now you need to go back to your apartment and sleep for as long as you need. If I remember correctly, you were able to sleep three days straight after your training with Jiraiya?" Naruto solemnly nodded. "I think that will be enough. Let's go." With that they put out the fire and gathered their things. Due to the time schedule, they had slept outside, rather than go back and forth between the village and the grounds where they were training. Naruto hadn't been inside the village ever since he and Yamato set out.

As he walked through the village, he was vaguely aware that people were hurrying about faster than normal, that people were frantic with something. People were discussing something but he couldn't make out what they were saying, nor did he care. Drowsiness started to overtake him, and he barely made it to his bed, where he collapsed and blissfully slept.

Three days later, he was woken up by an alarm that sent him sprawling out of bed with a yelp. Frantic and wide-eyed, he searched for the source of the sound. There was an alarm clock near his bed with a note on it, which read:

_Naruto—_

_By now I assume that you are up, and do not worry, there is still one more day left until time is up. You should be well rested, and you will find a large amount of ramen and vegetables (which Kakashi insists that you eat, or else he threatens to shove them down your throat, which I will assist in as well) that are there for you to eat. Once you are finished, Tsunade will come and fetch you and bring you to the rendezvous place. _

_After eating, get dressed and prepare all the weapons that we have discussed. Taking a proper shower won't hurt either. Be sure to be swift._

_--Yamato_

Naruto slightly shuddered that the thought of Kakashi and Yamato forcing him to eat the vegetables, so he reluctantly ate them first, and they were surprisingly delicious, but he figured that was because he hadn't eaten much in the past couple days. Once he had his full of ramen (he was actually amazed at how much ramen was actually provided for him, there was actually enough for him this time!) he took a quick shower, dressed, and adorned himself in all the weapons Yamato had instructed him to bring.

"Done yet?" a bored voice called out. Naruto spun around and noticed Tsunade sitting on his windowsill. She smiled when he noticed her and motioned for him to follow. With a nod, Naruto leapt after her, landing in the street and took off, with her leading the way.

"Baachan? Where are we going? Who else is coming with me?"

"Just follow me." As they ran, Naruto couldn't help but notice how quiet the village was. He saw no one in the streets; they were all inside, peering at him through the windows in hushed voices. The genin couldn't tell if it was out of fear or awe. Puzzled, he looked himself over, trying to discover the reason. He hadn't changed his outfit, and he didn't grow or do anything different to himself.

As they left the village, Naruto noticed that there were two old men at the guard post, not the usual chuunin. Also, once they left the gate, Tsunade took off to the left, deep into the forest.

"BAACHAN! Where are we going? If we're meeting with Kakashi and the others, why can't they wait for us in the village?" When there was no reply he stuck out his lip and pouted, muttering curses under his breath about annoying old hags.

Finally they stopped at the base of a large hill, and Tsunade paused for a moment and started to walk up it. Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, Naruto sighed and put his arms behind his head, walking alongside the Hokage and wondered what this was all about.

As they reached the top of the hill and Naruto gazed at the sight before him, his jaw dropped and his arms fell at his side. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Tears filled his eyes, and he muttered softly, "You guys . . . . "

* * *

**So, what do you think? This chapter was mainly to set the mood, and my way of saying goodbye to our favorite Ero-Sennin. I still can't believe he died!**

**Like I've said, from now on, no matter what happens in the manga, I am not going to change anything that I've already planned, unless it works to my advantage. I really hope to make this one of my best works ever, and I hope you all enjoy it! **


	2. Chapter 2: Benefits of the Past

**Phew! That was a really long chapter, ne? This one's going to be longer though! I'd like to thank some awesome reviewers: **Lupanari, Prescripto13, Rambler Kaolin, Sanctus Espiritus, Meira Evenstar, pmnight, cardcaptor eternity, Lily Yamamoto, LiMiYa, Uzumaki Naruko14, shadowphoenix143, Bluishorbs, Dragon Alchemist, kakashilover, OIceRose, **and **avatard/narutard.

**Oh, and **Lupanari** brought up a great question that I forgot to include in the last chapter!! I AM PRETENDING THE 2****nd**** SASUKE RETRIEVAL MISSION NEVER HAPPENED!! It just wouldn't fit with my story, and Kakashi is supposed to meet up with Tobi later. Crap, just gave away a spoiler didn't I? **

**DISCLAIMER: **I am well aware that some of these facts may be proven wrong by the time it is updated, but these ideas have already been put in an outline and I cannot change themThese are my original ideas on how I thought this battle will go, and I'm not changing them.

**I also don't own **Okoru** or **Yobu**. These characters belong to **Rambler Kaolin**, and are used with permission. They can be found in the story, **Ijin,** and it's really good, so you should go check it out!**

**I also don't own **Meira** and she is Meira Evenstar's character, and while she is not yet in any of her stories, she might be in the future! Used with permission.**

**So, for those of you still with me in this crazy, one year anniversary update thing, the library I go to only lets you be on the computer for ONE HOUR!! Can you believe it? I went there and read the new manga for Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach (all INCREDIBLY good by the way) and then I finished fine-tuning my ****The Seed that was Planted****, posted that, and then started fixing this one, and then I get a notice saying that I had five minutes left, so l log out, go get some books, and then come back for another hour, and it wouldn't let me!! Apparently each person gets an hour a day!! It made me very mad, and I wasn't able to go on Sunday, but now I am able to work on my sibling's computer, but I have to go soon before they find out I'm here, and then I have to wait for another opportunity to post the other story! Grrrrrrr. **

**As for my home computer, it's working faster, and my dad think he deleted most of the bugs, but the internet still doesn't work because he thinks that my user profile information stuff (I'm not a computer whiz so it didn't make sense to me) appears to have been corrupted, and he might have to rewrite it for me. : (**

**Seven down, ONE more to go!! (sorry for the long note!) This is going to be the longest chapter I've ever written!**

* * *

The scene that lay before Naruto almost caused him to drop to his knees. He couldn't believe his eyes!! Tsunade noticed his reaction and chuckled happily, knowing that all the hard work they put into planning this was well worth the genin's reaction.

"Ho—how is this possible?" he asked, without tearing his eyes away from what lay before him.

"Don't ask me, ask Shikamaru. He's the real mastermind of this undertaking; I just came up with the idea." At that point Shikamaru came up the hill with a clipboard in one hand and was talking to a walkie-talkie that was wrapped around his neck.

" . . . yeah, and make sure they don't get into any of that stuff. We're going to need that for later. Tell everyone to start packing up." He paused for a second and sighed. "Yeah, I'm coming up to him now, and . . . don't worry! I'm not going to forget! He'll be down in a minute." Then he turned it off and sighed, turning his attention to Naruto and smirked.

"Didn't expect that much of a reaction from you," he taunted, but Naruto didn't care. He just turned to Shikamaru and stood up.

"How did you do this? Why? Is this real?" he asked slowly, wiping the tears off his face.

Shikamaru smiled kindly. "It's real, but we've really got to get a move on or else we'll be behind. It was actually easier than we originally thought to get replies, but we never thought that there would be this much of a response."

At the base of the hill was a staggering mass of people who had apparently been camping there for a few days. They were all clustered together, yet were easily distinguishable in their own separate places.

Naruto saw all the people he had ever encountered in all his previous missions.

"It was troublesome, but we pulled up all your files with all your more important missions and asked all the people whether or not they would be willing to send some warriors to fight for our cause, and mentioned that you were the one who came up with the idea and were taking on the Akatsuki. Every single person responded and either came themselves, or sent representatives. There are also a large number of people from our own village, most of whom volunteered as soon as we told them what you were going to do."

"We have spent the past two weeks contacting all these people, and they have been preparing and traveling over here as fast as they could. Of course, something this big would be a hard secret to keep from you, which is part of the reason why Tsunade-sama had you practice with Yamato so far away, so you wouldn't see our plans."

He sighed, "It's all very troublesome, but everyone has requested that they meet with you before we set out, which is why we needed this extra day before we set out, but we need to hurry. Follow me." With that he started to walk down the hill, but Naruto was still so overcome that he found he couldn't move. Tsunade placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"All these people came because they care about you. You have saved their lives and changed them for the better, and this is their way of thanking you. Some will undoubtedly die in this war, so I think you should go and see them." Naruto nodded and stood up, but right before he started to follow Shikamaru he froze, and then pulled at his hair.

"We forgot something important!! How are the Akatsuki going to know we're going to meet them? We don't even know where their hideout is, or where—"

"BAKA!!" Shikamaru scolded, coming back up to meet the genin. "Now, I'm a pretty mellow guy, but don't you insult my intelligence like that!" He sighed. "Do you really think that such a large movement like this from all over the world would go unnoticed by the Akatsuki? We know for a fact that they are aware of our intentions, because reports from our ANBU scattered about have seen signs of the Akatsuki moving towards the place that we told everyone we would want to rendezvous with them. Of course, we have to accept the fact that they might attack us before we get there, which is why we need to hurry so we get as close as we can before they meet with us."

Naruto nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. He sure was glad their village had Shikamaru to think everything out. They continued to walk down the hill.

"First off, here's—" Before Shikamaru could say another word, Naruto was pummeled by a flash of green and blue.

"Inari!" Naruto yelled happily, ruffling the hair of the familiar boy who was grinning at him wildly.

"Wow, you've really grown, Naruto," he said incredulously.

"So have you!" Naruto chuckled. "You're almost as tall as I was when we last met!" He couldn't believe his eyes. Inari had grown yes, but he was also changed. The boy had exchanged the hat he had previously worn and instead had tied a white rope around his head, which looked oddly reminiscent of Kaiza's, the man whom Inari looked up to as a father. Inari also wore long green pants and a blue shirt with a white ringed collar and sleeves. What was more startling though was his resolute countenance, no longer the frightened little boy he used to be.

"A long time ago, Kaiza told me to protect what was important to me with my two arms," (Inari demonstrated by lifting up his right arm with a clutched first and grasped the upper arm with his left hand), "and I have been training. From here on, I will fight to protect you, and your ideals for a free world with these two arms, even if it costs me my life," he said proudly, looking up at Naruto with a fierce look of determination. "You showed me that heroes exist; now I'm ready to do my best to become one like you, and to show you that I am one as well."

Naruto was astounded by the words coming out of Inari's mouth. _Is this really that little kid I met all those years ago?_ Touched by the determination and devotion that he saw and knew was going to come even further, tears again welled up in his eyes and he did his best to blink them away.

"You know, Naruto, that same great person once told me that it's okay to cry when you're happy," Inari informed his, his own eyes glistening. Naruto sniffed and nodded, then bent down to hug Inari, who had silent tears running down his face as well. When they pulled away from the hug, Naruto quickly rubbed his eyes and stood up, then ruffled Inari's hair.

"Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you later, okay?" Inari nodded vigorously, wiping his face with his hand.

"Naruto! Look! It's Okoru and Yobu!" an energetic voice called out. Glancing up, Naruto noticed Lee frantically waving at him and pointing to two kids; one who was shy at their friend's outburst, and one who was frantically waving back. Naruto grinned and quickly walked over to them.

"I guess I should have figured you'd be here," Naruto said happily. Okoru grinned mischievously.

"What, and miss out on the chance to fight? Wouldn't dream of it," the girl smirked with a dangerous grin on her face.

Naruto felt slightly apprehensive. Okoru reminded him of Sakura slightly, her rash attitude and eagerness to fight clearly evident in her demeanor. She was an excellent fighter though, having witnessed it first-hand a little while ago.

"We just wanted to make sure you knew that we fully approve of what you want to do and are prepared to help you achieve it!" Yobu spoke up with conviction, causing Lee to grin and slap him on the back. Naruto grinned back at the two and nodded.

Yobu, Okoru, and Lee had become really great friends, and Naruto completely understood Lee's enthusiasm at being able to see them again. Despite the fact they lived where Inari lived, which wasn't too far away, direct confrontations were rare because of all the training the three had to undertake and the fact that Lee was taking on a lot more missions now that he had attained the rank of chuunin.

"Make sure not to take out all the opponents now, would ya?" Okoru chuckled. "Those of us in the back are gonna want some action as well." Naruto nodded and said good-bye.

About an hour or so later, Naruto could simply not believe all that he had seen. After meeting Okoru and Yobu, he had seen Sasame with some of the Fuuma clan shinobi, Toukichi(1), Todoroki and Gantetsu(2), Karashi and Ranmaru (along with Karashi's mother, Sansho, who tried to give Naruto some curry before he left, but he was able to get out of it by saying he was already full and didn't want to get sick), warriors from the Bird Country(3), and Isaribi with some other people who appeared to also have been subject to Orochimaru's experiments.

Near the end, Naruto saw Sumaru and all the other Star Village shinobi, some he knew, and others he didn't.

"Hey Naruto," Sumaru grinned.

"Are you the Kage yet?" Naruto teased, not forgetting the bet they had created when they last met.

He shook his head. "Not yet, but I'll still beat you!"

"We'll see about that. How are things going with your training? Now that you no longer can train near the star—"

"Actually, we still do!" Sumaru pronounced proudly. "Meira here figured out a way to practice near the star without suffering the effects. She created a special barrier jutsu that surrounds the star, and once that is up, we are able to practice near it!" Naruto glanced at the girl he was pointing to.

She smiled humbly, a little shy at the praise being directed at her. Meira had long, black hair tied back in a bun, bright green eyes, and was wearing short, tan capris with a tight, purple jacket that had a V-neck and hood in the back. Around her waist was a belt that carried a medium-sized sword.

"Now we are fully trained and ready to help you take on this Akatsuki!" his friend declared. "You have done more than enough to help our village, and I might not have ever been able to be with my mother if it weren't for you," he added softly. "It's a small thing, but we intend to pay back some of our debt."

Naruto nodded fondly, amazed at how much of a difference he had made in all these people's lives. He never really thought he had that much of an impact, but every single person he had talked to said something along the lines that they wanted to pay him back for everything that he had done for them. It was staggering to know he did so much.

Before he had a chance to turn around, Naruto felt something land on his shoulder. He turned to see what it was, and saw it was—a monkey? It was a small monkey with gray fur and a maroon hat and vest. As he was struggling to remember where he had seen it before, something collided with his Hitai-ate. Frustrated, he yanked it off, and discovered it was a toy arrow with a pink suction cup at the tip.

"Hikaru!" Naruto glanced to his right and saw the prince riding atop the saber-toothed tiger Cham, his old toy resting in his left hand, a real bow in his right and a quiver across his back. His glasses were a little smaller, and he was adorned in a green uniform, the same one as the officers in his father's army. _Just like Korega_(4), he thought sadly.

"Heard you were going to have a little war," the boy simply stated, pocketing the toy and dismounting the tiger, "Thought I could help."

"Got a real bow now," Naruto noted. "Any good at it?" He teased.

Hikaru smirked and held out his arm which the monkey promptly landed on.

"I think I've improved a little." He stuck out his hand and held up his pinky.

"Promise to see me when this is all over?"

"You bet, dattebayo!" Naruto held out his pinky and grasped Hikaru's. Cham roared happily while the chimp clapped his hands and chattered excitedly.

"See you on the battlefield."

Naruto nodded. "Are you riding Cham?"

"Of course! Never gone into one without him. Don't worry though, he's got some armor, thanks to him." Naruto followed the direction in which Hikaru was pointing and his smile grew.

"So you're here too, huh?" he asked. "I'll take it you're on our side now, ne?"

Temujin(6) chuckled, his armor rustling slightly. "My job has been to outfit all the warriors who are not shinobi with the most advanced technology available, with the help of some of the brightest minds of the Takumi village. They felt it was the least they could do with what happened between your friend and their rebels trying to resurrect the Ultimate Weapon."

Suddenly, Naruto found himself again assaulted by an animal, or in this case, a ferret.

"He's been waiting to say hi to you ever since we arrived," Temujin informed him. "Ever since you left he's stuck with me, and has been a very faithful companion." Naruto grinned and scratched the ferret behind the ears, grateful that he was no longer clawing at his face like when they first met.

Then Nerugui sniffed the air and glanced up at Shikamaru before leaping onto his shoulder.

"So you remember me too, huh?" The chuunin stroked the animal's fur. "As long as I don't have to chase you down this time." The ferret licked his face before returning to Temujin.

"Better keep a move on, Naruto," Shikamaru reminded him. "We don't have much time left, because you have a couple more people to meet, then we have a meeting with all the leaders, then we have to pack, and then we have to get an early rest so we can set out at dawn tomorrow."

"Yosh, I'll see you later then," he said as he waved good bye to Temujin.

"There you are!" Naruto felt someone come up behind him and practically drill their hand on top of the genin's head.

"It-t-t-t-t-tai!" the blonde yelped, trying to fend off his attacker.

"Oh leave him alone already, baka!" Suddenly the grip on Naruto loosened and once he was free, spun around to discover Kankurou behind him, rubbing his own head gingerly where apparently Temari had whacked him with her fan.

"What was that for?!" the puppet master whined. "All I wanted to do was say hi!"

"I can think of a million other ways to say hi without hurting him like that!" the girl replied indignantly.

"Well this is how guys greet each other," Kankurou said smugly with his arms folded. "Of course, being a girl you wouldn't have any idea—" His outburst warranted another whack from Temari.

"_Hi_," she smirked then turned her attention to Naruto, who was starting to step back in fear. _She is too much like Sakura,_ he observed in fear.

"Figured this is our way to pay you back for all you've done for us," she said kindly. "Besides—" (she slammed a fist into her palm and pretended to crush something underneath it) "this is probably the only way I get to kick some Akatsuki a—"

"Calm down, Temari," a raspy, yet slightly annoyed voice interrupted. "Save your anger for the battle." The red head faced Naruto, a slight grin on his face.

"Like she said, this is our way of thanking you for saving my life," he began quietly, "and it's a great opportunity for me to return the favor to the one who kidnapped me," he said, and Naruto could have sworn he saw the remnants of Gaara's old lust for blood, but he found himself not blaming the former Jinchuuriki.

"Hate to disappoint you, Gaara, but he self-destructed when we cornered him while you were—uh—"

The Kazekage shook his head. "Our village scouts have spotted him recently in the company of the newest member, whom we believe to be the one to take Sasori's place. He is described as having an orange mask with swirls that covers his entire face and black hair. They believe his name to be Tobi, but were unable to discover anything else for fear of being discovered."

"Really?" Naruto couldn't believe he survived the blast, seeing how Kakashi sent him to a whole other dimension. _Must have been another clone!_

"Let's take them out together then, shall we?" Naruto responded with a similar bloodthirsty grin. He wanted to make all those people pay, tracking down all the poor people infected with demons against their will, killing them for their own desires.

"I've also brought a few people from our village," Gaara continued, gesturing to the group of Suna shinobi behind him. Naruto didn't recognize most of them, only Baki and Matsuri.

"Yosh! When this is over, I won't need your help to shake your hand," Naruto promised quietly, so only the three siblings could hear. Gaara nodded, a shadow of a smirk evident on his face.

"And now this is everyone from Konoha," Shikamaru sighed in exhaustion, practically dragging the genin away from the Suna shinobi. He knew there were a lot of people, and he recognized a couple of them, but for Kami's sake, the list never seemed to end! He prayed that his attack plan would work, seeing as how he had such an enormous amount of people to work with.

"Idate!" Said boy was standing next to his older brother Ibiki, a large grin pasted on his face while the interrogator ruffled his hair. Naruto paled a little at the sight of the large man acting so . . . friendly.

"Boss Jirocho told me to come as soon as he received the message, knowing that my brother was here and that I would want to come back to Konoha and see you guys again!" his friend said happily.

"We'll definitely need your speed!" Naruto replied, remembering all too well his friend's quick ability.

Glancing at the next people in line, Naruto saw all of the famed Konoha 11 standing together, their sensei's nearby. All were happily grinning, and to his amazement, he saw Neji and Tenten holding hands!

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, pointing at them and practically jumping up and down. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!"

"Calm down, Naruto," Tenten said in annoyance, placing her free hand on her hip.

"When's the big day?" Naruto asked Neji slyly, nudging him playfully in the ribs.

"Already happened," he stated.

"NANI?!"

"We had been thinking of it for a little while now," Tenten explained. "Once we learned of your plan to defeat the Akatsuki, we decided that it would be best to do it before we left, just in case something happened. If it weren't for your training, we would have invited you as well. It was a short wedding anyway, because we were all getting ready."

"So," Naruto began again, forgetting his previous shock and smirking at Neji knowingly. "Have you already—"

"URUSEI, BAKA!" Sakura's fist came out of nowhere and collided with Naruto's head, sending him to the ground. As he whimpered over his wound on the grass she sighed and brushed her hands off. "Can't you be a _little_ more sensitive about personal matters?!"

"It's not his fault, Sakura," Sai said in Naruto's defense, helping him up with his fake smile pasted on his face. "It's only natural for him to be curious about that stuff, seeing as how he doesn't have a pe—"

"THAT GOES FOR YOU AS WELL!" Sai and Naruto stepped back fearfully, the former Root member instantly abandoning his fake smile, his eyes widened slightly.

"Ahem, I think that's enough, Sakura," Kakashi intervened quickly, eager to dissuade any trouble among his former students. Naruto growled slightly before turning to his sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he said excitedly, "What was it that you did for Tsunade baa-chan?" The jounin was taken back a little, surprised that the genin recalled that incident, then waved him off.

"Maa, you'll find out soon enough." Naruto pouted and resumed following Shikamaru.

As they continued, Naruto met up with Anko (who still freaked him out a little, her reptile attitude reminding him too much of Orochimaru), Kotetsu and Izumo (who joked that by joining in this war was the only way to get out of doing Tsunade's paperwork), Shizune, the older Ino-Shika-Cho group, Yamato (whom he made sure to inform that he did eat his vegetables straight away, to avoid being glared at with his scary face) and Gai. He was pleased with everyone's appearance and grateful that they had decided to back him up in this.

"Hello, Naruto," said a meek voice. Naruto frowned and followed the source before grinning fondly.

"Hey, Yakumo!" The young girl waved back at him, standing next to Kurenai and her team.

"Now that the Idou is gone, Kurenai-sensei says that I will be able to fight!" Naruto grinned at the girl's happiness, knowing all too well how much it meant to the girl to be able to use her incredibly advanced genjutsu alongside the woman she cared about more than anything else in the world.

"Good luck with that!" Before he could let out another word, poor Naruto found himself again tackled, this time by Konohamaru.

"Oi, boss!" the boy declared happily.

"Konohamaru? What are you doing here?" Naruto said in surprise. "You're too young for this sort of thing!!"

The young genin folded his arms angrily. "No I'm not! I want to fight! If I'm going to be the Hokage after you, then I need to get some good field experience, and I want to help you!"

"So do we boss!" Naruto turned to his right and saw Moegi and Udon shaking their heads vigorously.

"B—but—" Naruto glanced up at Tsunade for help. It's not that he didn't appreciate the three kids' concern, but he didn't want anything to happen to them.

The Hokage smiled. "Don't worry Naruto, I've got Fuujin and Raijin to protect them."

"Na—nani?!"

"Heh, I promised them a year's supply of food if they protect these three in the battle," she smirked mischievously.

"And you're going to be able to follow through on that?" Naruto asked in surprise. Doing so would probably deplete Konoha of all its food in a month!

She waved him off. "We'll follow through for a few days, then we'll put them under a strong genjutsu to make them forget anything ever happened."

He had to admit, that just might work. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wish you good luck!" Naruto admitted, pushing himself off the ground with Konohamaru's help. He laughed when the three kids saluted him, but didn't have much time to do much else because Akamaru came out of nowhere and licked his face with his large tongue, effectively knocking the genin over, again.

Kiba chuckled. "Sorry about that! He's just excited because we finally get _our_ chance against these guys! Right, Shino?"

The Aburame nodded. "I am especially eager to assist you in your endeavor because I was unable to join the last mission," he admitted somewhat darkly.

Kiba paled. "You're still going on about that," he muttered.

"We have been tr—training very hard," Hinata informed him, gaining confidence with each word she uttered, "because we want to help. We kn—know that there is no other way t—to defeat the Akatsuki, and we want to make the world a b—better place for all the others like you."

Naruto's eyes widened at her last words. "Wha—what do you mean, others like me?"

"Naruto, we know who you are," Ino said kindly, stepping forward.

"The Kyuubi's inside of you, correct?" Shikamaru asked.

The world seemed to go still, Naruto could not breathe, could not think, only listen to Shikamaru's words, _"The Kyuubi's inside of you, correct?"_

"H—ho—how . . . di—did someone . . . " (he glanced at Kakashi and Sakura) "did you—" The two shook their heads.

"We were able to figure it out for ourselves," Hinata said boldly. "We all w—wondered why you wanted to take them on so badly, and assumed that it was f—for a reason other than wanting to get revenge for wh—what happened to Gaara."

"All of us got together one night and discussed it," Chouji continued. "Over the years we all noticed that there was something different about you, something that always made you stand out."

"The main indicator was what happened when you fought me during the chuunin exams," Neji added.

"I recalled hearing something about the Akatsuki coming after you, and since we knew Gaara was a Jinchuuriki, that got us thinking," Shikamaru took over. "We knew it had to be something to do with the demons, and seeing as how the 4th Hokage fought against the Nine-Tailed Fox, it all seemed to come together."

Naruto couldn't believe it, they actually figured it out! _What will they do now?_ he wondered. _Are they going to laugh in my face, call me a monster, tell everyone else about me, and then leave me to the Akatsuki? Are_—

"Naruto?" His friends became worried at his cornered reaction, absolute fear evident in his eyes. Hinata stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, awakening him from his trance.

She stared at him straight in the eye, and said with the most conviction she had ever said anything in her life before, "We are your nakama, and will not abandon you just because you have this demon inside of you." His eyes locked on to hers, half of him absorbing what she said, and the other half becoming aware that this was the first time she had ever touched him of her own free will, was not blushing, and was not stuttering.

"You have no need to fear our reaction to knowing the truth anymore."

The Hyuuga stepped back and the other eleven shinobi (including Sai) came closer together, so that they were all in Naruto's view, and they all smiled at him warmly, with no trace of hatred or fear in their eyes.

"You've changed us all for the better—," Neji began.

"—so now it's our turn—," Lee continued, loud as always.

"—to show our appreciation—," Sai smiled, a rare true smile.

"—and eternal gratitude," Hinata finished.

If one could die of shock, Naruto knew he could have keeled over then and there. In all his wildest dreams, he never would have expected the type of warm confrontation he just received.

They all knew who he was, _and they didn't care!_ They no longer held the prejudice that their parents and other villagers had instilled within them since the time they were born. They all knew of the evil that resided within him, and they still loved him for being Naruto.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, sobbing as his did so, tears of surprise and gratitude flowing down his face. All the emotions he had felt since before he could remember of being persecuted and not feeling like he belonged all came rushing out in a torrent of mixed feelings. His nakama watched with tears in their own eyes, grateful to have made such an impression on him, but at the same time full of sorrow for realizing just how much he had been hurting all his life.

All the Konoha jounin watched on with joy and a bit of sorrow and guilt. Over the years they had alternated taking turns to watch over the boy, fending off as many villagers as they could who tried to harm him as he made his way through the village, doing their best to protect him physically. They were among the few, and had to do it in secret or else the elders would find out and impair their chances to continue doing so forever. They all tried their best to slyly influence as many as possible to let go of their prejudice, but without any luck.

They all wished they could have done more, but being so much older, they knew it would mean more for Naruto to have youth his age be the ones who took the initiative to accept him for who he truly was. It seemed that day finally came.

As Naruto lay there sobbing, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Wiping away his tears, he glanced up.

"Iruka!" he yelled happily before practically bowling him over.

"There, there, Naruto," the chuunin said soothingly, trying to calm the crying genin. "Is this all you've ever dreamed for?" he whispered silently in the youth's ear.

Naruto grinned, wiping away his tears. "Almost everything," he whispered back.

His old sensei nodded, understanding the meaning behind his words. "All in due time, Naruto. All in due time." He embraced the boy until he was finished crying, releasing him to face all his friends.

"Ready to show the Akatsuki what we're made of?" Kiba snarled in excitement, his fangs gleaming, Akamaru barking in excitement. Naruto grinned just as fiercely.

"Dattebayo!" Everyone smirked at his trademark phrase, never tiring of hearing it.

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, now that that's over, it's time for a debriefing meeting, then everyone must rest in preparation for the big day tomorrow, and we're going to set out early!"

* * *

About half an hour later, all the head leaders of each company were gathered around a large stump. Those in attendance were all the Konoha jounin and chuunin, Tsunade, Sumaru, Hikaru, Temujin, the Sand Siblings plus Baki, Toukichi, Gantetsu, Todoroki, various generals from the non-shinobi armies, and Naruto.

"All right," Shikamaru began, laying down a piece of parchment that had all types of drawings and figures on it.

"Our attack plan is relatively simple. We are broken up into six groups, and I've tried to divide up everyone as evenly as possible. Each group will have representatives of Konoha in it, with at least one jounin and one chuunin."

"Kakashi and Ibiki, you lead the first group along with Fuujin, Raijin, Ebisu's team, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Idate. This is our smallest group because it's more of a scouting squad, and I highly doubt that the Akatsuki would pit their greatest force against us at the beginning."

"Yamato, Tenten, and Neji, you lead the second group along with all the warriors from the Bird Country and the Fuuma clan."

"Kurenai, you and your team are the leaders for the third group, and you will also have the Star Village shinobi to back you up."

"Gai, Lee and Anko will lead the fourth group, with Anko leading the warriors from Kiri and you will also have the army from the Land of the Moon, with Hikaru leading them."

"Genma, Sai, Temujin, and myself and Chouji will lead the fifth group, along with those who came with Isaribi, Toukichi, Gantetsu, and Todoroki."

"Naruto, you, Iruka, my team's parents, Gaara and all the shinobi from Suna will bring up the rear. If my assumptions are correct, the Akatsuki leader will be the last to come against us, so I want you to save all your energy until then. As we come against enemies, all the previous groups will peel off, letting all the succeeding groups to continue," he paused for a second to make sure Naruto had his full attention.

"You can _not_ participate in any other fight than the one against the leader. Doing so will just waste time and drain you of chakra. With Jiriaya's death, I'm sure you understand how dangerous this guy is." Naruto nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"If you find yourself in a situation you can't get out of, I have instructed everyone else in your group to cover for you. They will take over your battles because this whole war hinges upon you defeating the leader."

Shikamaru took a minute to make sure everyone understood and pulled out a large number of walkie talkies. "I want all the leaders of each group to take one, and we will all communicate on the channel that corresponds to each group number. To make the communication more orderly," he continued as the devices were passed out, "I want there to be a main leader in each group whom all subsequent leaders will report to, and then those leaders will relay that information to me, on channel 5, in an effort to decrease the amount of people on each airwave."

"Following each group will be a number of medical shinobi, some who came from Konoha, Suna, the Star Village, and the Fuuma clan. The leaders in charge will be Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, and Ino. They will be stationed at different points along the line, ready to provide immediate assistance to all those who need it. To access them, use channel 7, but only in emergency. If it's a minor injury, contact the regular medical shinobi on your group channel."

"Be sure to tell everyone in your group that if they see any medical shinobi engaged in a fight with the enemy, _cover them_. We cannot afford to have our relief squads injured in battle. I have told them to send a distress call on channel 2 if they find themselves having to fight, and the people closest to them should immediately take over. If you're too busy, send a clone."

"Are there any questions?" There was silence and he surveyed the group of people, waiting for any raised hands.

"No? Then leaders, relay this information back to your groups, and make everyone go to sleep. We are setting out at the crack of dawn tomorrow, and it is going to be the longest day of our lives. I have bags with soldier pills in them, and I want you to pass them out evenly among the people in your group; they will need the extra nourishment."

Naruto was simply aghast at the depth of planning that went into Shikamaru's attack plan. _He planned it all to the most minute detail!_

Shikamaru smiled in exhaustion. "We will have another brief meeting between all the leaders before we set out, so be sure to bring your breakfast with you. If you come up with any other questions, I'll be available on channel 5." Everyone nodded their affirmation and separated to their appropriate places, arranging themselves in the order and groups Shikamaru instructed them.

"Are you excited, Naruto?" Iruka asked as they settled down for the night, just as the sun began to set.

The genin nodded vigorously, then his face fell. "Hai, but . . . I just don't want anyone to die. All my precious people are here, and if they died—I'd feel responsible for the rest of my life."

Iruka gave him a comforting smile. "Don't be. This is a war, and there are going to be people that die, people that you care about, but that just comes with being a shinobi. Remember me telling you that emotional training is just as important as physical training?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, then glanced up at his former sensei, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Promise—promise me you won't die, Iruka-sensei!" he pleaded. Iruka was slightly taken back by his words, then drew Naruto into a hug.

"I promise Naruto. I will drag myself from the grip of death to fulfill that promise."

The night progressed as everyone drifted off into sleep, with Naruto resting at Iruka's side, their hands intertwined.

* * *

**What do you think?! It looks like all those filler arcs were good for something, ne? I'm so excited for this, because everyone is going to play an important role. **

**Just in case any of you have forgotten, here are descriptions of these people from that _incredibly_ long filler arc.**

1—Episodes 159-160: Toukichi is the bounty hunter that Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata were supposed to capture, and they later learn that he is not a criminal, but a framed man, and through their efforts to capture the real criminal who is trying to steal a golden bell, Toukichi's innocence is made known, yet they still fail the mission because they didn't capture Toukichi.

2—Episodes 209-212: Gantetsu is a former member of the Shinobazu, and Todoroki is the guard whose brother was supposedly killed by the Shinobazu, but later it was revealed that Gantetsu saved all the children that his gang members tried to kill

3—Episodes 162-167: Toki is the twin sister of Sagi and takes his identity to avenge his death and in an attempt to do so, pretends to be the Noroimusha, the warrior ghost. Toki and Shima then thank Naruto for all his help when Oki is defeated.

4—Naruto Movie 3: Korega is the captain of the Land of the Moon's Military, and he is killed trying to protect Hikaru and his father by being turned to stone and was shattered to pieces by Ishidate's Petrification Blow.

5—Naruto Movie 2: Temujin is the blonde kid who was the warrior for Haido and had the gelel stone merged with his body. After learning Haido killed his family, Temujin destroys the castle and saves all the Konoha and Suna shinobi who came, then Naruto used his _Kage Bunshin_ to save him from an untimely demise. Nerugui is the interesting ferret that Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru started out looking for.

**Here is a website for more information about these characters if my quick explanations didn't remind you well enough: **naruto(dot)wikia(dot)com/wiki/List(underscore)of(underscore)minor(underscore)Naruto(underscore)characters(underscore)archive

**Just to let ya know, for this story I am going all out in planning for it, so that it is as intricate as it can possibly be. I have this Pirates notebook that I am entering all my ideas into, and it is already 20 pages long!! I just bring it with me everywhere and whenever I get an idea I write it down and then elaborate on them later when I type it up. I have never done this much planning for a story before, but with all these characters that I've got to come up with individual battles for, it's almost necessary. So, I'm doing everything in my power to make this story the best it can be for all of you!!**

**Oh, and to all those who came to check this out from knowing all my other stories, thank you so much for reading! If this is my first fic you've read, thanks for deciding to read it and be sure to check out all my others! **

**Again, I apologize for the incredibly long author's note!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Return of the Snake Pt I

**Holy crap I'm alive! I mean**—**uh . . . Hmmm, sorry for that long intercession there folks! AP Tests and the like take a lot of time away from writing stories. This past weekend I had a two-day track meet, and whenever I wasn't competing I worked on this next chapter, and I got down a good amount of ideas, and even started working on the next chapter, so I hope to not make you wait another two months.**

**My totally awesome reviewers are: **Ella Clevek,shadowphoenix143, Lupanari, Lily Yamamoto, Meira Evenstar, cardcaptor eternity, avatard/narutard, Namikaze naru14, Prescripto13, Rambler Kaolin, Scanndalus, UzumakiToba

**I don't own Lily, she belongs to **Lily Yamamoto** and the name of the German song is **_MaiGlocken Und Die Blumelein_, **and she provided me with the lyrics. Thanks!**

**A couple people were concerned about me not including anyone from the first movie, and I do wish I could have, but there are going to be so many people fighting already that I don't think I could handle working with all these POVs and ways for them to fight! You might get an idea of what I'm going to have to work with in this chapter.**

* * *

The next morning, everyone was eerily silent at the meeting, all nervous about the battle that would ensue, all very well aware that their lives were more in danger than ever. Only the experienced jounin and former members of ANBU were at ease.

They stood there silently as they listened to the reminders from Shikamaru and some last minute instructions. When it was over all the Konoha 12 gathered together in a solemn circle.

"I guess this is it," Sakura said quietly, staring at the ground.

"I wonder what the war will be like," Tenten voiced aloud, speaking for all of them.

"No matter what happens, if we all do our best, we should be fine," Neji said with conviction, his hand tightly grasping Tenten's.

"Heh, you gonna be decided now?" Kiba joked.

"Neji is right! If we all do our best in the power of youth we shall all return triumphant!" Lee cheered, putting his hand up in the air for emphasis.

"At any rate, everything should go somewhat according to plan, since Shikamaru planned it all out," Chouji praised his best friend, lightly thumping him on the back.

"There's so much that could still go wrong," the genius muttered.

"It doesn't matter! We just all need to have faith in each other," Hinata assured them.

"She is right," Shino continued, "Having faith in one's friends is one of the most powerful forces of all."

"I just wish we didn't have to go through all this so soon," Ino remarked sadly.

"Look, I'm really sorry that you all were dragged into this," Naruto began quietly, "but this is the only way we can bring down the Akatsuki. Sooner or later they will try to destroy everything we hold dear to us, so we might as well be the ones to attack them first!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, their fear starting to ebb away with Naruto's conviction like it did all those years ago in the first stage of the chuunin exam.

"Ano," Sai began, cheeks flushing with embarrasment, "I—remember reading in a book, that whenever friends go away or when something dangerous will happen—they hug and say good-bye. Should we—do that?"

There was silence as everyone was astonished at what Sai had said.

_He really is trying his hardest to be more normal_, Sakura noted with a smile.

"You're absolutely right Sai," the kunoichi giggled before giving him a tight hug. "That's exactly what they do."

And so, all the Konoha youth said a final good-bye, with Lee and all the girls slightly more enthusiastically than the rest of the boys, but everyone treasured and appreciated it dearly. No one said so, but they knew very well that this could be the last time they saw each other.

"Let's make a promise to all return here when this is done!" Naruto cheered to the nods of affirmation from all who were present.

"We'd better go if we want to head out on time," Shikamaru reminded them. Then each team except Team 8 said another good-bye to each team member since they were split up over the different groups.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Iruka asked quietly as his former student returned from the small meeting, able to see the fear and hesitation on his face.

The genin simply nodded, too afraid to speak. Iruka's speech had been able to calm him down enough to go to sleep last night, but now that he was awake, the fear and guilt for all his precious people that would die resurfaced, especially because he had just said good-bye to all of them. He also wasn't as sure as he had sounded back there, it was just to give his nakama some confidence.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew that people he has known and loved would perish at the hands of the Akatsuki. What's worse is that Shikamaru put him in the back, so he would have to wait forever to fight, and _then_ he'd have to pass his friends who were fighting and not be able to help them.

However, as he rearranged all his weapons and other necessary items, he realized that Shikamaru's plan was truly the only way to go. He _needed_ to be saved for the end. He need to take on the leader, in fact, he was the only one who could! In order to stop the Akatsuki once and for all, this needed to be done.

Casualties were a given, there was nothing he could do to prevent that. Even if he were able to save some people, the energy exerted decreased his chances of winning against the leader. He realized with a sickening thought that in order to prevent who knows how many deaths if they failed this mission, he might be forced to let some people he knew very well die. _The end justifies the mean,_ he figured.

But how could he do that? How could he willingly let a person die when he would have been able to prevent it? Was _this_ the life and way of the shinobi?!

However, as he followed Iruka to the back of the long line of people, nodding to many in turn, all of their expressions solemn and deep in thought, he grudgingly decided that this was the life he had chosen. Some even patted him on the back and the small contact seemed to boost his confidence.

They finally arrived at the end of the line, where all the Suna shinobi and Team 10's fathers were waiting.

As soon as they arrived, Gaara and his siblings immediately came out to greet them, looking as if they weren't afraid at all. Temari looked as fierce as ever, Kankurou had on a goofy grin that was accentuated by his face paint, and Gaara was as impassive as ever.

"You ready?" Kankurou grinned. Naruto just shrugged. "Why're you so down in the dumps?" he asked. "I know pineapple-head's plan isn't the best but—"

Temari whacked him on the head. "His plan is perfect, baka!"

Kankurou growled. "I'm sorry for insulting your _boyfriend_," he muttered. His sister's eyes widened in shock and she tried to whack him again, but he did some fast hand movement and stopped her hands in the air.

"Di—did you . . . put your chakra strings on me?!" she shrieked, unable to believe he was actually fighting back.

"Yeah," he grinned mischievously. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

As Naruto watched the fighting unfold, slightly progressing and getting more and more violent, he made a movement to maybe stop them, when Gaara stepped forward and shook his head.

"Just let them be. They're nervous." Naruto raised his eyebrow and glanced back at them, wondering what he meant. A few seconds later Gaara sighed and wrapped some sand around their waists and separated them far enough so that they weren't able to hit each other anymore.

"That's enough now," Gaara scolded them, releasing his sand and put it back in his gourd. "You can't lose all your energy before the battle." His older siblings sighed but relented, with Kankurou adjusting his uniform and Temari fiddling with her fan. Now that Naruto thought about it, they did seem a little fidgety, at least more so than usual. He couldn't suppress a grin though, grateful for a reason to smile.

"Must be really interesting to live with them," Naruto teased the redhead.

Gaara simply nodded. "It's a wonder I'm the youngest." As the two quarreling siblings scowled at their brother, Naruto swore there was a shadow of a smile on his face, but didn't have time for a second glance because a familiar puff of smoke appeared.

"Kakashi-sensei? Aren't you supposed to be with the first group?"

The jounin waved him off. "I just thought of something to give to you, Naruto." At his serious tone the Jinchuuriki gave him his undivided attention. Kakashi reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out three pieces of paper. Naruto paled as he recognized the familiar kanji.

"It's just a precaution, Naruto," his sensei said comfortingly, passing one each to Iruka, Gaara, and Shikamaru's dad.

"There are seals that will suppress the Kyuubi's chakra. If Naruto accidentally becomes overpowered by it, then one of you needs to place this directly on his forehead, and he will be able to regain control. If all three of you try to apply it with the others helping, you will increase your chances of correctly stopping him."

"Where did you get something like this?" Shikaku asked in amazement, inspecting the seal.

"From Jiraiya-sama's belongings. He told me where they were, in case anything were to happen to him." They stood in silence as they paid some respect to the honorable shinobi.

"Well, I guess is should go back to the front," Kakashi said with a happy salute.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said quickly, in a somewhat worried tone. The older man raised an eyebrow at his behavior, then motioned the genin over to him for privacy.

"What is it, Naruto?" he asked in concern.

The blonde bit his lip. "What's a war like?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, and closed his eye in slight pain as he relived what happened in the last war.

"Well," he said after a moment, his voice steady and strained, "I can assuredly say that this war will be unlike any war our world has seen, but no two wars are the same. Just know that you can't lose focus or give into your emotions, or you're dead, _especially_ with the Akatsuki and whoever else they have fighting along with them. You have to use all the skills you have learned over the years, and then some. Surprise can be your greatest asset, and that shouldn't be too hard for Konoha's number one hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja," he joked, ruffling his former student's hair.

"You should be fine," he continued softly, looking him straight in the eye. "Everyone knows you will do well, and they all believe in you, just like your father. Shinobi were able to fight with confidence when your father was around. The same will be said of you."

Naruto's eyes widened at the praise, then he grinned happily, most of his fear and doubt gone.

"Arigato, sensei. What about Konohamaru and the others? And Inari? They're all so young, and—" Kakashi held up a hand to silence him.

"I will do whatever I can to save your friends, and Anko, Okoru, and Yobu are with Inari, so he should be fine. Just worry about you from now on," Kakashi chuckled. "We all need you to do your best and defeat Pein. Don't worry, we will all do our part." Then he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a smiling Naruto to go join his group, all who began to relax and gained confidence from his grin.

* * *

"Everything go all right?" Ibiki asked when the jounin reappeared at the front.

Kakashi smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to Ebisu's team, who looked slightly pale and green. He walked over to them and knelt so he was almost eye-level.

"Don't look so nervous."

"We're not nervous! We—" Konohamaru paused and they glanced back and forth between themselves, then sighed in defeat.

"There's no need to worry," Kakashi assured them. "You've got a lot of adults ready and willing to protect you in case something goes wrong."

"Remember what Shikamaru said? This is probably the safest group there is, because we're more like a scouting squad," Kotetsu added, soon to be joined by Izumo.

"We got your back," he said.

"Being nervous will cost you in battle," Ibiki informed them sternly, his younger brother joining him as well. "Just focus on your task and give it everything you've got. If you do that, you'll be fine."

"Make sure to remember everything I've taught you," Ebisu sighed while he adjusted his sunglasses.

The three genin looked at them, their confidence revitalized and let out an emphatic cheer.

"Yosh!" they yelled, giving their superiors a small salute.

Ibiki glanced at the others and winked, signaling that their work was done. In situations like this, the most anyone needed was a good pep talk. Letting the genin know that they had nothing to worry about with all these experienced adults around seemed to do the trick. Kids were also so much easier to persuade and mess with, part of the reason why he always volunteered to help with the Chuunin Exams. So far the most interesting year had been Naruto's by far. That kid only listened to his own thoughts and feelings, not as easily swayed by mere words like most. Definitely his father's son.

Kakashi walked over to Fuujin and Raijin, whom Idate was making a point of staying far from them, yet they didn't seem to care, instead talking among themselves excitedly.

"I'm so glad we were able to get this kinda deal, aniki! I—"

"Fuujin and Raijin!" Kakashi interrupted. He held out some onigiri and gave it to them.

"This will be the first of many _if_ you do your job and make sure these three don't get hurt," he reminded them as they munched on the food happily.

"Don't worry shinobi-guy," Raijin mumbled, licking his sausage-sized fingers, "We'll do anything for food!"

"Especially a lifetime supply!" Fuujin added.

"Good," (here Kakashi leaned in and whispered), "Because if you fail, you won't be fed _any_ food!"

If their jaws could drop, Kakashi was sure their's would have.

"N—n—n—no . . . . _NO FOOD?!_"

"Hai, so do your job."

"WE PROMISE TO DO OUR VERY BEST!" they declared loudly, throwing their hands in the air.

"Okay, okay," Kakashi sighed in annoyance. "Just calm down."

_That should do it, Naruto._

* * *

It was finally time. Everyone was ready, all lined up and adorned for battle. All they were waiting for was Shikamaru's signal.

"Group 1, you're cleared to go!" Shikamaru yelled through the mike.

"_Wakata_," Kakashi's voice crackled through the reception. Shikamaru could practically hear his excited smirk. The first group was the easiest, being comprised of all shinobi, so they could travel at a "normal" pace. All the succeeding groups beside Naruto's had regular soldiers, so the shinobi would have to travel at a slower pace.

It was very troublesome, but he was grateful for the extra help, because there was no way it would just be the Akatsuki members. No doubt they were each in charge of a small legion of shinobi, or something to that effect. You don't take over the world with a handful of shinobi, demon-powered or not. They needed underlings.

"Group 2, go!"

"_Understood_," Yamato's calm voice came through.

It was just like shogi. In order to win, you needed to strategically use your other pieces to overtake your opponent.

"Group 3, you have clearance to go!"

"_Okay_," Kurenai said calmly.

He just wondered what other factions would come and try to fight. A battle of this proportion with this amount of powerful people; it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Group 4, you can go!" He quickly pulled the earpiece out and held it far from his ear.

"_YOSH!_" Just in time. Shikamaru had a feeling Gai wouldn't be able to resist. He hoped everything went well with that group, because they were the biggest and since a lot of them were part of Hikaru's army, they wouldn't travel as fast as the others. This meant that Shikamaru's group would have to wait longer than the five minutes he had been giving each group.

About ten minutes later he turned to the other leaders in his group and nodded.

"Let's go." All the shinobi took off into the trees while the others ran on the ground. After a few minutes, he clicked over to channel 6.

"Group 6, it's your turn to go."

"_Finally!_" Naruto's voice boomed in exasperation. Shikamaru heard other murmurs of agreement.

"Hey, Shikamaru." Chouji pulled up beside him. "Why can't Ino be with us? We're a team, and our formations won't work now." The Nara could hear the disappointment in his voice, but found he had to agree.

"Believe me, I don't like it any better than you do," Shikamaru admitted. "But she's a medical kunoichi, and very valuable to the survival of most of the people here. I need to relay information back and forth to all the groups, so you'll need to cover me." The Akimichi nodded in understanding, seeing the logic and necessity in his friend's plan.

His walkie talkie beeped and he switched over to the appropriate channel to hear. "_Shikamaru_."

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"_We've already ran into some trouble_."

"Really? Who?" This was definitely earlier than he expected. As he listened to the identity of the opponent, he groaned.

Didn't he say others would try and join the battle?

* * *

Kakashi couldn't believe it. Of all the people he had expected to see, this was the last.

They had been traveling for about half an hour when they all sensed a large group of people in front of them. Kakashi ordered an immediate halt so they could prepare and not be ambushed.

"Reveal yourself!" the jounin ordered as everyone withdrew their weapon of choice. "We know you're there so there's no need to hide."

"My, my Kakashi," a familiar voice taunted, "It seems like people _do_ get more impatient as they age."

He turned to the figure emerging from the tree in front of them, earth-style.

"Yo—you . . . I thought you'd been finished the same time Orochimaru was?!"

Kabuto smirked in a condescending way as he shook his head, most of his face concealed by his hooded robe. "Shinobi shouldn't assume. 'Expect the unexpected' am I right? One of your shinobi rules if I'm not mistaken."

Kakashi narrowed his eye.

"What are you doing here?" Ibiki cut in, wanting to give Kakashi time to warn Shikamaru of their situation. "Last time I checked, you weren't a member of the Akatsuki!"

The ex-nin nodded. "True, but I just wanted to try out my new powers and perhaps gain some new subjects for my—" (he paused as if searching for the right words) "_scientific interests_." At this he pulled back his hood and exposed his face to the gasps of all the Konoha shinobi.

"What did you do?"

"Just assimilated and absorbed some of Orochimaru into me. You like?"

As Kakashi stared at a face that was half Kabuto, half Orochimaru, his only thought was, _Are we _ever_ going to get rid of this guy?_

Kabuto sighed as if he were bored or disappointed in them. "Anyway, too much talk. Lily!" he called out, causing a girl with a large flower in her hair, brown shorts, and a purple shirt with the Sound symbol to come stand next to him.

"Yes, Kabuto-sama?"

_Great, another brain-washed follower._

"Let's give them a taste of your specialty." The girl grinned wickedly and stepped forward, taking a deep breath.

"_Maiglochen lautet in dem Thal das klingt so helt und fein_," she sang, her voice soft and smooth, almost in a caressing way. She had a beautiful voice. Suddenly lilies came from behind her and surrounded them, slowly circling about the group.

". . . _So kommt zum Reigen allzumal ihr leiben Blumelein!_"

"It's a genjutsu! Quickly dispel it," Kakashi ordered. "_Kai!_"

Suddenly the flowers vanished and Kakashi saw Kabuto's smirking face besides the girl who was still concentrating on her genjutsu.

"Ja ne!" he saluted before taking off.

"As if you're getting off that easily," Kakashi muttered. "Ibiki! I'm going after Kabuto! I'm leaving the rest to you!"

"On it!"

Kakashi put some extra chakra at the bottom of his feet and took off, determined to not let him run away like the last two times.

_Little kids should mess with grown-ups_, he had said and he was determined to follow up on that promise.

After a while Kabuto stopped and it wasn't long before Kakashi caught up with him.

"This looks like a good spot," Kabuto said happily, as if they were on a picnic.

"What is it you want?" Kakashi growled.

"To be granted the opportunity to fight you," he answered just as pleasantly. "For real."

"Well, you'd better have some good trick up your sleeves from your half-deformed face," Kakashi chided, lifting up his Hitai-ate. "I've gained a couple tricks since the last time we met."

"Oh, like your Mangekyo Sharingan?" Kabuto said in mock surprise. "Or rather distant form of it, anyway; don't worry, I already know about that and how you were able to open a vortex to another dimension, so to speak."

Suddenly the vine behind Kakashi transformed into a snake and sank its teeth into his neck. The jounin grunted as he felt his body go numb.

"Pa—paralyzing venom," he said weakly, the effects already beginning to make its way to his legs.

"'Pay attention and never let your sides be breached'," Kabuto sighed. "Isn't that another one of your shinobi rules?"

* * *

"Ibiki! I'm going after Kabuto! I'm leaving the rest to you!"

"On it!" Easier said than done. After Kakashi took off after the Orochimaru brat, Ibiki turned his attention to the rest of group one, having just dispelled the genjutsu caused by the girl who continued to sing her strange song, German, by the sound of it.

". . . _Ihr lieben Blumelien!_"

Kotetsu, Izumo, Idate, and Ebisu were just snapping themselves out of the genjutsu, yet the genin and the baka brothers were still caught in it. Konohamaru and the others made sense, seeing as how they were still genin and probably weren't properly taught in how to dispel such a powerful genjutsu, and—so were the brothers, he guessed.

"_Die Blumchen, blau und gelb und weiss, die kommen all' herbei_ . . ."

Ibiki sighed and motioned for everyone to cover him as he tried to figure out a way to release them from the jutsu.

". . . _Vergiss meinnicht und Ehrenpreis und Veifchen sind dabei_ . . ."

Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi stared in awe at everything that was happening all around them. After that Sound girl started singing, they were surrounded by flowers and then they were transported to some field of some sort where they were knee deep in the same flowers that had encircled them.

Kakashi had just disappeared, yelling something about a genjutsu, and then the other adults followed suit. The three genin nodded to each other and put their hands into the hand signs that would dispel it. However, once they yelled, "_Kai!_" the field did not disappear.

Frustrated, they continued to try and release it, but to no avail. They also noticed that Fuujin and Raijin were trapped there as well, but they didn't have time to focus on them as some of the flowers detached from the ground and flew at them, turning into some kind of flower shuriken.

The genin team dodged them effectively, yet as each flower passed, they felt a large pain in their sides as something collided with it. Looking down they saw that it was one of the flower shuriken.

". . . _Vergiss meinnicht und Ehrenpreis und Veilchen sind dabei!_"

"We dodged them!" Moegi cried out, yanking the weapon out and throwing it down in pain. "Where did these come from?"

"I don't know!" Konohamaru admitted, dodging another shuriken and grunted as he was again stabbed by one that appeared to come out of nowhere. "How is this happening?!"

Two sharp cries alerted them to the fact that the baka brothers were also being assaulted by the shuriken, but in greater amounts.

" . . . _Maigloockchen spielt zum Tanz im Nu und alle tanzen dann _. . ."

"What's happening, aniki?!" Fuujin wailed as he was hit with ten shuriken. Normally, one or two didn't do anything to them, but this was a lot!

"Where are they coming from?!" Raijin yelled, trying to combat an invisible foe as he dodged the shuriken he could see and was hit with those he couldn't.

" . . . _der Mond sieht ihnen frwundlich zu hat seine Freude d'ran . . . _"

"I really wish she'd shut up," Konohamaru muttered darkly as he failed to dodge the invisible shuriken.

" . . . _hat seine Frwude d'ran_ . . . "

Suddenly everyone felt a hand on their back and a large surge of chakra flew into them, causing the flower field to disappear. Ebisu, Idate, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Ibiki were standing alongside the three genin and two brothers, each with their hand on their back, with their free hands in the hand position for the proper jutsu.

Neither shinobi displayed any sign from the chakra drain that had occurred. As soon as they had realized that the five others were still under the genjutsu, shuriken came flying out at them from all directions, from Sound nin who had been merged with the trees in the same manner Kabuto had. At first the five still under the spell looked as if they were able to dodge them, but that proved to not be the case.

"The genjutsu must be forcing them to dodge imaginary shuriken into the path of the real ones!" Ibiki had informed them, appearing behind one of the enemy shinobi and snapping his neck before he could throw another weapon.

Realizing that the interrogator was correct, they turned their attention back to the mesmerized group and saw that the enemy had decided that the two brothers were a greater threat and were having shuriken after shuriken thrust into their large bodies.

Kotetsu and Izumo quickly killed two other enemy shinobi, but to their dismay more and more Sound shinobi were appearing, coming into view from having merged with the trees and continued their assault on the unsuspecting group, with some beginning to attack the five who were not suffering the effects.

"What should we do, aniki?!" Idate had called out as he yanked out a kunai from his pouch and defended himself against a Sound nin who had suddenly appeared next to him.

Ibiki thought for a moment, then yelled, "There's too many of them to kill first and then save the kids! Grab one and force your chakra into them to dispel the genjutsu!" Everyone nodded and quickly ended the battle they were currently engaged in and jumped next to the others and focused on inserting their own chakra into their bodies. Kotetsu and Izumo took care of the brothers, while Ibiki, Idate, and Ebisu took care of the genin.

"We'll cover for you for now!" he yelled once the genin and two brothers snapped out of the genjutsu. "Fall to the ground and the medics will take care of these shuriken wounds. As soon as you're done, come join the battle!" Ibiki ordered as they began to dodge another hail of weapons. The injured ninja nodded, wincing at the pain and tried to pull as many shuriken out of their body as they could. It was quite a lot.

As they jumped to the ground, the interrogator radioed the medics and ordered them to commence initial treatment. Once that was taken care of, Ibiki turned his attention to the infuriated Lily, clearly not pleased that they had rendered her genjutsu helpless.

_You're mine_, Ibiki warned with a devilish grin as he leapt to meet her.

* * *

Kabuto thrust a kunai at the poisoned Kakashi, only to have him disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Did you really think something as childish as that could get me?" the copy nin taunted, his voice seemingly coming from all directions.

Suddenly the ground erupted and Kabuto's eyes widened as Kakashi's Chidori came bursting out beneath him, aimed for his heart. He gasped as it made contact, then turned into mud that effectively short-circuited the powerful jutsu.

"I must say I'm impressed, Kakashi," Kabuto smirked, appearing beside a nearby tree. "To be able to merge with the ground and perform your original jutsu is an amazing feat."

"You also seem to be relying on most of Orochimaru's tactics," the jounin responded. "What, your own style not good enough?"

"Not necessarily," the boy sneered as his palms lit up with blue chakra, forming into a sharp point for his scalpel technique. "I still find that I have some use for this one. It's proven useful on more than one occassion. It's my favorite, actually. Shall we continue?" he smirked as he charged towards Kakashi yet again.

Fifteen minutes later Kakashi hastily wiped some sweat off his forehead. He and Kabuto were evenly matched and it was hard work dodging those scalpel hands of his. However, this fight was far from over. The copy nin was just getting started.

The ground practically erupted beneath his feet, breaking his train of thought. As he flipped over in the air he realized that five snakes were coming out of the ground, positioned like a clutching hand. They were about python-sized and Kakashi swore he could see the poison dripping from their extended fangs. Kakashi quickly grasped some kunai and twisted in the air as he severed their necks. As the last bloody head fell to the ground Kabuto emerged from behind a rock.

"Getting a little preoccupied now, are we?" he tsked, evidence of the current battle showing on him as well.

The jounin glared. He was getting fed up with Kabuto's belittlement. He needed to end this, if only to get him to shut up. It was time to put together what he had been working on for the past fortnight. He brought his left hand up in half of a ram sign, covering his Sharingan eye.

"I don't think so!" Kabuto shouted, surrounding his hands again with the sharpened chakra.

"Do you think I don't know?" he yelled as if he were insulted. "You're trying to use that space disorientation jutsu, the one you got rid of the Akatsuki member's arm with! I may not know exactly how it works," he said as he continued striking with rapid succession as Kakashi blocked and dodged every attack he could, "but I know you need time to initiate it."

"The trick is to keep you busy so you never have time to do that!"

And so, for the next five minutes Kabuto never stopped his attacks, and the two shinobi became a complete blur. It was all Kakashi could do to dodge the attacks and use a few attacks of his own, yet he could tell Kabuto was using up a lot of energy as well. At one point Kakashi closed his left eye in an effort to save energy. He usually didn't use his Sharingan this much and it regrettably drew a lot of chakra from him.

Suddenly and without warning one of Kabuto's scalpel hands made contact with the side of Kakashi's chest, going all the way through. Everything seemed to stop and the forest was silent, the contrast incredibly evident except for the slow, steady drips of Kakashi's blood on the grass. Kakashi could only stare at Kabuto's smug yet exhausted smirk, with only one question in mind.

_How?_

* * *

**Phew! These chapters are just so incredibly long! Oh well, I'm sure you guys like it that way, ne? **

**Anyway, I've got a lot of the next chapter finished, actually. Like I said, that Track meet was freakin' LONG so I had more than enough time. I'm just really excited with how this is going, and I think you will be too.**

**What's this? Kabuto injured Kakashi? How could this be?! No, it's not a clone this time, it's for real. That jutsu is also very damaging, so Kakashi's not going to be able to move for quite some time. How will this battle end? Tune in later for more on this epic battle!**


	4. Chapter 4: Return of the Snake Pt II

**Hiya everybody! Look at this! A nice, fast update! Hurray! I told you it would be up soon. This is the longest chapter I've ever written!**

**Anyway, reviewers, I luv ya!: **Ella Clevek, Lupanari, Lily Yamamoto, Katestar98, shadowphoenix143, EdSpikeSesshyFirl, Meira Evenstar, Prescripto13, anbu10, cardcaptor eternity, avatard/narutard, **and **Rambler Kaolin**! Thanks a bunch guys!**

**I'd also like to send a special little thanks to **NoNameNeeded**, because her (I think) "fic" List Of Ninjutsus has, and will forever be a lifesaver for me!! She (or he, sorry if I get this wrong) took the time to find as many ninjutsus as she could, and then posted them all into a fic with a description of the English and Japanese name, what it does, and who uses it, arranged alphabetically. With a story like mine, where about 95 percent of it is going to be fighting and I'm juggling practically every character in the Narutoverse who hasn't died yet, this will really help! It's in my favorites if you'd like to use it as well.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Blood rose up in Kakashi's throat and he painfully coughed it up, the blood making contact with the mask he wore, yet he did not have the energy to pull it down, so he tried to monitor his breathing with his nose so he wouldn't choke on his own blood.

Kabuto practically howled with mirth as he forcefully withdrew his hand and sent Kakashi sprawling to the ground.

"Are you wondering how I was able to strike?" Kabuto asked as he paced around the nearly unconscious figure.

"I don't care . . . _how_ many years you have trained and fought to be able to function normally with that left eye of yours covered. You will still have a blind spot. It still doesn't matter if you can sense anything coming. While being distracted like you were, you didn't have enough attention given to that respect."

"It's just like with the Hyuuga's. Even with their 360º visibility they still have a blind spot. As soon as you closed your left eye, I was able to determine where it was by the slightest body movements you made that differed with the way you fought earlier."

Kabuto sighed in exhaustion and leaned against a tree. "That knowledge cost me though, I'll admit. Good thing I brought this along." The shinobi then reached into his pouch and withdrew a glass bottle with neon green liquid and quickly drank it. Once it was gone he gagged and let go of the bottle, causing it to fall and break on the hard forest floor, and he doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Soon his body glowed with an eerie green tint, and smoke slowly rose off his body as all his wounds healed with a slight hissing sound.

As soon as it was complete, Kabuto sighed with relief and pushed himself back to a standing position, the only indication that he had been fighting being his tattered clothes. Kakashi turned his head to the side and glanced up at him, gasping at how his adversary was almost completely healed, then faced the dirt again, unable to sustain the energy needed to look at his opponent.

"I got the idea for this potion from witnessing Tsunade's _Souzou Saisei _when she fought against Orochimaru," Kabuto explained, "Yet instead of using a massive amount of stored chakra, it is simply a collection of enzymes that stimulate the proteins in my body to exponentially increase the speed of cell division and reconstruction. It of course has a setback, but not as much as hers, I assure you," he chuckled, as if Kakashi was worried about his well-being.

"You were a worthy opponent, I must admit. Once I end your life I would very much delight in the opportunity to learn how you are able to use that implanted Sharingan eye of yours, as well as be granted the ability to create genjutsus that no other Uchiha has ever used before," Kabuto remarked joyfully.

He spent a few seconds glancing at Kakashi and then walked over to where he was sprawled out on the ground, squatted to his knees, then grasped the back of Kakashi's silver hair and none too gently yanked his head off the ground.

Kakashi winced at the pain but could make no further movement.

"I'll try and make this as quick as I can," Kabuto assured him. He raised his hand as if to strike, then paused. "How about I help you breath a little easier first?" he said, slowly and gleefully as he reached out to pull down the mask.

Suddenly Kakashi's right hand shot out and grasped the outstretched hand, practically crushing it.

"_Chidori Nagashi!_" Kakashi bellowed as his whole body erupted with electrical discharge. Kabuto yelped in pain and flew back, collapsing on the ground, momentarily paralyzed.

Kakashi slowly got up, pushing himself delicately off the floor, and when he was on his knees he yanked the mask down in order to breathe properly and left it here, exposing his face to the twitching Kabuto.

"How—I . . . thought only—Sasuke . . . knew—that!" Kabuto growled through clenched teeth.

"I heard the report from Naruto," Kakashi scoffed. "Even though I wasn't there I have a pretty good imagination. The Chidori is my original technique you know."

"I'll admit you caught me off guard by finding my blind spot, something no one has ever done before," he congratulated. "That is why I have grated you the opportunity to see my face—but that also means you're going to die. In combat this is an action shared by all Hatakes."

Kabuto practically snorted in disbelief. "I may have fell prey to your last attack, but all my injuries are healed and you've got a gaping hole in your chest!"

Kakashi smirked. "You may have combined yours and Orochimaru's techniques and even come up with some of your own, but do you honestly think I haven't been working on a new jutsu?" At Kabuto's bewildered expression Kakashi slowly opened his left eye to reveal a black design that no ninja had ever seen before.

"_Makurayami no Sharingan._"

* * *

Konohamaru swore angrily. He knew the battle would be tough, but he didn't think it would be _this_ tough! These Sound-temes had some sort of special jutsu that would revive themselves and fix all their wounds while the Konoha shinobi tired and were drained of chakra.

Thanks to that genjutsu from that girl, he and his team were still suffering the effects of being pierced with a dozen or so shuriken. Ibiki was fighting her now, the two of them just a blur among the trees. He wasn't worried though, she would be dead in a couple minutes. His blood boiled when the medical nins were cleaning their wounds and he saw Moegi pierced with so many shuriken she looked like a pincushion. He and Udon were very concerned but like she angrily told them, they didn't look any better.

She always hated it when they were protective of her. "_I am a kunoichi of this village and I can take care of myself!_" was always her argument. Despite this, they still took special care around her.

Their treatment was cut short as they became under fire, a mass horde of Sound shinobi emerging from the trees. Konohamaru's team and the Baka Brothers quickly sprung into action while the medic team tried to slip into the shadows. Unfortunately, one of the shinobi Konohamaru was fighting chucked a kunai and embedded it in the back of a retreating medic nin, killing him instantly and put all the rest of them on guard.

"Team 6! Don't let anyone attack the medics!" Ebisu yelled, suddenly appearing next to the fallen shinobi. He withdrew the kunai and easily deflected another attempt on the group

"I'll cover their escape!" The three youth nodded and scanned for anyone who tried to make a move against them.

"Fuujin! Raijin! Make sure to fulfill your duty!" the special jounin added as he led the medics away.

"Ossu!" Fuujin vowed wearily. The battle was taking a toll on them and there were numerous cuts and bruises as well as bloody kunai and shuriken stuck in various places. Because of their beefy hands they couldn't take the small weapons out properly, so they stayed there, infuriating the two and causing them to act like enraged animals.

"We get a year's supply of food!" Raijin reminded his brother, snapping an unlucky Sound shinobi in half.

"That's right aniki! Let's go!" Fuujin said happily, as the prospect of their reward stood out in his mind.

"This is taking too long!" one of the Sound nin declared, stepping back from the circle of his men who were trying to attack the brothers. "Let's get rid of these kids and then focus all our attention on these idiots and get back to the real prize up there!"

On his command everyone turned on the young genin team, causing the three of them to huddle together, their backs up against each other, hands gripping their weapons. Moegi brandished a double-speared staff, Udon held a small katana with both hands, while Konohamaru held nothing. Even though he used clones like his idol Naruto, he had neither the skill nor the chakra capacity, so along with those, he tended to rely more on conventional jutsus. Besides being quick, he also had a great knack for being able to use the terrain against his opponent.

He wanted to use his uncle's chakra blades but he was nowhere ready enough. Shikamaru had been instructing him, giving tips and so forth, but this war had intervened before he had completed the training.

"It's okay guys, we can do it," Konohamaru quietly assured his team, yet he wasn't so sure if he believed it himself.

"NOOOO!" the brothers yelled simultaneously. "We have to protect them!"

The ground shook as they charged, and some of the enemy stepped back in fear. The Konoha genin couldn't blame them, they looked absolutely terrifying.

"_CHAKRA FIST!!_" they howled in unison, revealing their one and only jutsu. Blue chakra enveloped their enormous fists, leaving a small trail behind them due to the speed at which they were traveling at, and they drew it back behind them, and once they were about a foot away from the closest enemy nin, pushed them forward, causing an impact so great that the shinobi they hit flew backwards about a hundred feet, and a spiraling column of blue chakra followed it like an impact wave, blowing away those who were in its direct path.

The three genin gaped in amazement yet heard the leader curse.

"I can't believe I'm going to need this," he muttered to himself, tossing his kunai to the ground. Konohamaru and his team watched as he withdrew an arrow from the carrier on his back and shoved it down his throat, tail end first.

Once the tip disappeared from sight he drew a large breath, tilting his head back as he did so, then expelled all the air, aiming it at the duo. The arrow shot out, visible sonic waves encircling it.

Raijin abruptly stopped in his tracks, facial expression frozen in place, and just stood there. After a few brief seconds the genin realized why.

There was a clean, round hole right where his heart should be. The arrow that pierced him lay embedded in a tree, the heart attached.

"ANIKI!!" Fuujin screamed as his brother fell face first into the ground, never to move again. Udon turned away, looking green while Moegi fell to her knees, vomiting on the ground. Konohamaru bent down to comfort her, yet found he couldn't look away.

He watched as the Sound nin deposited two more arrows down his throat, one after another, then shot them out again, where they collided with the last brother, killing him as well.

As Konohamaru stared at the bodies of the two brothers, he became vaguely aware of someone walking towards them.

"Killing off so many men with their brute strength; what a joke," the man muttered angrily. He paused and stared at the genin hungrily.

"There's no one left to save you now, _gakis_," he sneered. "Time to die."

Konohamaru found he couldn't move as the shinobi slowly withdrew another arrow and brought it up to his mouth. All that he could think of was, _there is no way we can beat him._

_We're dead._

* * *

As soon as Ibiki made sure Ebisu's team and the brothers were safely in the care of the medics, he turned to the rest of the group.

"I'll get her," he informed them, pointing to Lily, "and you cover for me!"

"Ossu!" they yelled before engaging in battle.

_You're mine_.

"That may have been a nice little trick you did there," he mocked, suddenly appearing at her side in the high trees. "But you'll soon find that I am the master of messing with people's minds."

"You think a simple genjutsu is the only thing I can do?" she yelled incredulously, apparently insulted.

"What I'm thinking," Ibiki responded, careful to stress the appropriate words, "is that no mere _girl_ could defeat someone like me. _Especially_ not one who is still a child and _sings_ as her weapon."

The interrogator took note of the way her face grew red, her eyebrows furrowed together, and her hands clenched furiously.

_She's a piece of cake,_ he noted happily, yet his thinking was cut short as she took a deep breath and let out a shrill shriek. It seemed to surround him completely, drowning and suffocating him in it. He could tell if he stayed in it much longer he was in trouble, so he closed his eyes and cleared his mind, focusing on a place out of danger and jumped to it.

Once he was out of range Lily stopped her jutsu and turned to him.

"That was pretty good, but I already knew girls could scream, I just didn't know you were the most annoying. You'd even give Anko a run for her money."

Lily's frustration grew, and Ibiki calculated that she'd be ready to defeat in the next five minutes.

"You're going to regret that," she growled through her teeth. Ibiki just stood there patiently, waiting for what she'd do next. Nothing happened for a minute, and he was worried that she had seen through his ploy and was trying to calm herself down. Just as he was about to say something there was a loud rumbling and the tree he was standing on stared to shake. As he tried to adjust his footing there was a large "_CRAAACK!"_ and he glanced up to see the top of the tree splinter off and start to fall on him.

He jumped out of the way just in time to land on another tree where the exact thing occurred. For the next two minutes he dodged tree after tree until finally the onslaught ceased.

Lily finally opened her eyes and smirked when she glanced at him.

"Like that? I hummed and used an ultrasonic frequency to sever the wood wherever I chose and—"

"Did your precious 'Kabuto' teach you that?" the interrogator chided, apparently not impressed.

"Kabuto-_sama_ is the greatest shinobi in the world!" she retaliated, her anger back and with a vengeance.

"He is kind, caring, and always makes sure his subordinates are well taken care of! There is _no one_ who is greater than him!"

"I wouldn't be this great if it weren't for Kabuto-sama!!"

"Well then you're a poor reflection of your master, because if his worth is placed by your skill I could defeat him with my eyes closed."

Prepared for it this time, Ibiki jumped out of the way as she emitted her shriek once again.

"One of our jounin, Kakashi, is fighting him right now. Do you know who he is?" he asked as he landed off to her right.

Choosing not to answer, Lily unveiled a long string of kunai. She leaned closed and seemed to whisper something to them, then touched one and it shot towards the Konoha jounin. It traveled faster than he thought and grazed his shoulder before colliding with the half of the tree that wasn't destroyed and obliterated it.

Glancing back, he noticed that the cause was the fact that the kunai was vibrating back and forth quickly, almost like a tuning fork.

_One more minute left. Time to put on the finishing touches._

"Is this seriously all you can—" he stopped and switched on his walkie talkie. "Morino Ibiki . . . Hai . . . really? . . . all right. I understand."

Another pulsing kunai was thrust in his direction and he leapt to safety.

"Looks like your _Kabuto-sama_ just got defeated. Kakashi informed me he killed him."

Lily just stood there, staring at him. "Yo—you're lying! There is no way that he could lose!"

"I'm telling you the truth. It was a hard battle, but Kakashi was better. He told me on this channel—"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" In her fury she released all the kunais at once and Ibiki quickly became surrounded by the explosion.

"You lose," he whispered behind her before effectively snapping her neck. She fell down and Ibiki laid her delicately on the tree branch. He hated killing with a lot of blood, so he preferred a faster approach. It was just regrettable that her mind was so warped by this Kabuto person.

The interrogator didn't know the exact story, but he knew that the medic kid was under the direction of Orochimaru for a couple years, and that Sannin was skilled at twisting people's minds so there was no telling what this kid had learned.

Before the Sannin had betrayed Konoha, Ibiki had almost tried to press for Orochimaru to become the main interrogator instead of him, because he had an almost respect for his methods.

He looked off into the distance and sighed. _I hope what I told this girl turns out to be true. Be safe, Kakashi. _

* * *

Just as the Sound leader was about to expel the arrow, there was a blast of wind and the three genin had to close their eyes. When they opened them again, there was someone standing in front of them.

"Picking on little kids? Now that's just mean. What's even worse is picking on them with such a pathetic move." Their savior stuck out his hand and held out an arrow before snapping it in half and letting it fall to the ground.

Suddenly there was another gust of wind and a few remaining Sound shinobi fell down dead.

"Ah, there you are, Izumo."

"Got a little caught up there, but now I'm ready to help, Kotetsu."

The two chuunin turned to glance at the genin for a second then focused their attention back to the leader.

"You guys all right?" Izumo asked.

"Y—yeah," Konohamaru stuttered.

"Good. We're sorry to have separated you from the group like that, but we didn't think there were this many more Sound nins, and that they could have defeated Fuujin and Raijin," he continued.

"Just because you caught my arrow once doesn't mean you'll defeat us!" the leader shouted, half convinced.

"Really? I think different," Kotetsu protested, withdrawing a scroll. "I don't know if you know this, but we're not letting another Sarutobi die if we can help it."

Konohamaru gasped as he realized why they said that. They of course were there during the invasion almost three years ago, yet they were also there when Asuma was killed by that Akatsuki member. Neither death was their fault, but he could see why they felt that way.

"You three just step back and let us take care of them," Kotetsu finished as an incredibly large weapon that resembled a fish head appeared and he charged towards the leader. Izumo stayed there and did his best to fend off the six that were left.

The battle that ensued was one of the most amazing the genin had ever seen, partly because Kotetsu's weapons was so—unique, and they had only seen Izumo sit at the entrance to the village or walk around carrying stacks of paperwork for Tsunade.

Izumo's sword techniques were amazing and within two minutes he had already killed two of them. However, he was tired from the previous battle before this one so his movements became slightly slower. What made it even worse was that a few other shinobi appeared, never granting Izumo the opportunity to rest.

"How _dare_ you defy me!" Kotetsu's opponent screamed. "I am the great Hishugi, captain of Kabuto-sama's squadron!"

"I'm honored, I'm sure," the chuunin mocked. "My only question is, do you actually have some talent to back up that position, or is it all talk?"

"_Bakuhatsu no kinzoku! _(Exploding Metal)" Hishugi stuffed a bagfull of what appeared to be metal shrapnel down his throat then jumped into the air and spun around, aiming his mouth at Kotetsu. Before the chuunin could move, hundreds of tiny pellets erupted from Hishugi's mouth like gunfire and left the chuunin with nowhere to run or hide. He tried to bring up his weapon as a sort of shield, but the shrapnel was too fast for him and he simply had to do his best to protect his vital organs.

Once the onslaught was over, Kotetsu slammed against a tree, sitting on a sturdy tree branch and did his best to catch his breath and do a mental check of his injuries. He was able to prevent the deadly assault from attacking his heart, but the rest of his body didn't fare so well. He was still able to fight though, yet his weapon had slipped from his hand and crashed with the floor below.

Kotetsu spared a few moments to see how his partner was managing.

"_Fukumikuchi Hari! _(Hidden Mouth Needles)" Izumo charged towards his opponents and spit out a fury of senbon needles, effectively killing two via damaging puncture wounds and injuring at least three others. Kotetsu was beginning to seriously reconsider having him and Izumo switch opponents, because it looked like the two were made for each other.

"_Koukou no ya!_ (Sailing Arrows)" Kotetsu was drawn back into the battle as Hishugi released a torrent of arrows; he apparently stuffed the rest of them down his throat while the chuunin checked upon on his friend.

"Kuso!" he cursed as he realized that there was no way he could deflect all of them, yet he did his best, but was unable to prevent one from slashing through his right shoulder. He screamed out in agony as the spinning arrow cleanly cut through his bone, ligaments, and skin, leaving nothing but a bleeding hole in its wake.

"Finished yet?" Hishugi taunted.

Kotetsu grimaced from the pain but faced the Sound-taichou with a mischievous and dangerous grin he had seen on the infamous Uzumaki Naruto once while saying, "Oh no; I'm just getting started."

* * *

Kabuto gasped as everything around him was plunged into darkness. It was so dark that it was practically tangible. He could taste it and it felt like it was almost suffocating him. He also couldn't tell if he was lying down, standing up, or floating in the air.

"What is this?" he shouted, fascinated in spite of himself.

"My new jutsu," a voice echoed through the darkness.

"_Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!_" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)

"I'm sorry, but that just won't work."

To his amazment, Kabuto found that to be true. It seemed as if the darkness was blocking his ability to create jutsus as well as any sources of light. Suddenly, there was a strange sensation in his toes, and after a moment of reflection, the medical shinobi realized why.

Somehow (he did not know how) but the darkness was destroying each of his cells, one by one. It creeped through each plasma membrane with tiny, thin tendrils that destroyed the nucleus.

As the darkness moved up his body, Kabuto watched his feet completely disappear.

"How is this possible?" he wheezed, fear gripping his throat for once.

An outline of Kakashi appeared, where all the lines and contours of his body and jacket were outlined in white, his Sharingan eye red against the black.

"This is my version of Amaterasu, where instead of a black fire that doesn't go away until it has destroyed everything in its path, this is a palpable darkness that doesn't disappear until it has destroyed every living cell I enter into it."

Kabuto smirked dryly. "I can see now why Orochimaru always wanted that Sharingan. There's nothing that can compare . . . " All of a sudden, Kabuto's face froze, then started to melt away, revealing a face Kakashi knew all too well.

"Orochimaru."

"I am quite impressed with how well you have learned how to use that Sharingan of yours. You would have made an excellent test subject," the man hissed.

"So everyone keeps telling me," Kakashi rolled his eye.

"If you can, I highly suggest you go after the newest Akatsuki member, Tobi. You'll find him with an orange mask, and very . . . _interesting_," the demon chuckled. As the darkness reached Kabuto/Orochimaru's shoulders, Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and wrapped it around the figure in front of him.

Kakashi groaned then disappeared with a faint "pop!" Orochimaru then hissed and howled in agony as his face began to disappear into nonexistance.

"When you're in _my_ jutsu, you have no power."

Kakashi sank to his knees as the darkness that had surrounded Kabuto/Orochimaru disappated, leaving nothing behind. His eye exploded with pain and he grunted in discomfort. As he brought up his hand as if to wipe away the pain from his eye, he noticed there was blood on his fingertips.

_Looks like this jutsu has some repercussions_, he observed with slight fascination. He had of course practiced this jutsu before, but it was only on the small animals he was able to find in the forest. He had never gotten this reaction before.

After he pulled down his Hitai-ate over his bleeding eye, he stood up then doubled over in pain onto his knees again.

_Oh yeah, I forgot about that_, he thought dryly as he glanced at his bleeding chest wound. _Guess I should take care of it_.

The jounin paused for a moment, then ripped the bottom of both pants up to his knees, and tied the cloth tightly around his waist.

_That should stop the beeding for a while._

With a final glance at where Kabuto used to be, Kakashi took off in the direction of where he originally came.

* * *

"So, looks like the Sound made an appearance after all," Tsunade sighed. "I figured it would happen, one way or the other."

Shizune nodded, then frowned.

"Ano . . . Tsunade-sama—what are you doing?" The Hokage was currently going from fallen Sound shinobi to shinobi, holding some typed of three-pronged amulet necklace over their chest that glowed a blue color, and once it stopped she would move on to another one.

"Nothing, you'll find out soon enough," she said absentmindedly, intently focused on her task.

Shizune sighed and turned to the matter at hand, looking for survivors of the first group. While their duty was comprised of waiting for a distress signal, it also consisted of overseeing the aftermath of each battle, seeing who was fit for more action, who was dead, and who needed to be sent back to Konoha.

"Ibi—" Suddenly the interrogator appeared right in front of her, startling her slightly. He looked to be out of breath, had a few injuries from kunai and shuriken, but other than that he appeared fine.

"How did it go?" she asked, becoming serious.

"We ran into Kabuto and the Sound, and they had this girl use a genjutsu that trapped Ebisu's team and the Baka Brothers, but we were able to get them out before we were separated. I took after the girl, so I don't know what happened to everyone else."

"Over here!" Sakura's voice called out, and the two jounin came to her position.

"We've got Ebisu and Idate here, both fine," Ino informed them happily. Said two were on the ground, panting heavly while they were being attended by their group's medical team. Ebisu's head was wrapped in bandages with some blood starting to seep through, and Idate was wincing as one of the shinobi was working on a broken arm.

"So far, so good," Shizune smiled. "What about the others?"

"There were fighting in that clearing over there," Ebisu informed them slowly, trying not to upset his head too much.

"And Kakashi?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"He went after Kabuto," Ibiki said, pointing off to their right. "Once you're done up here you need to go check up on him."

"Well, I'm done," Tsunade remarked as she joined them. "This clearing, you say?"

Ebisu nodded, and Tsunade, Ebisu, Sakura, Shizune, and three medic nins went to the area specified. As the Hokage leapt into the clearing, she stopped dead.

_I hate war._

The clearing was littered with about 30 Sound shinobi, all strewn out in various places and positions, felled by many random causes, with one off to her left stuck up in a tree, impaled on a broken tree branch.

What drew her attention the most was the sight of Fuujin and Raijin's bodies, their ripped hearts lying a few feet away and skewered by an arrow. It's not like she realy cared about them, but they were there by her orders and were instilled to watch the kids.

She gasped, _the kids!_

The sight she sought was not a happy one. Moegi lay over Udon's lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably, while Konohamaru was standing between Kotetsu and Izumo who lay on the ground, slowly staring at one, then the other, then the other, as if he didn't know what to do.

"How are they?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.

Konohamaru just stared at Kotetsu. "He saved us from the shinobi who killed Fuujin and Raijin," (he turned to Izumo) "and he saved us from the rest."

The young Sarutobi finally glanced at Tsunade, tears running down his face, "They wanted to protest us, they really did! They both said they wouldn't let another Sarutobi die on them!!"

"But then we were stupid and didn't stay alert of our surroundings! One of the shinobi was hiding, and then he killed Udon!" He started crying harder so Tsunade draped her arm around him to help him continue.

"They felt horrible, but Kotetsu was fighting the leader so Izumo quickly killed the person he was fighting and then fought him! I could see it in his eyes; he was so tired and felt completely responsible, but he wouldn't stop fighting until all of them were dead, and he just . . . j-just fell over, and he was dead!" Konohamaru wailed.

"He should have died a different way, he can't just fall over like that!!" At this point he could talk no more so Tsunade gently patted his back and motioned for Shizune to take care of Konohamaru. Her assistant obediently did so, a couple tears falling down her face as she saw the bodies of the two chuunin.

Izumo was lying on his face, with a couple kunai and shuriken embedded in his back, so Tsunade gently yanked them out before turning him onto his back. She was startled for a second as she realized that he was smiling.

_At least he died happy_, she thought as she tried to console herself. He appeared to have died from loss of blood, chakra exhaustion, and too many vital points struck by weapons.

Her prognosis finshed, she moved on to Kotetsu, who seemed to have a hole in his right shoulder that was similar to the one the Baka Brothers had. His hair was matted, blood was trickling down the left side of his face, his left leg was twisted in an unnatural way, his chest was moving up and down unevenly . . . _wait!_

"Kotetsu! Kotetsu" she shrieked, kneeling down at his side and gingerly shook his left shoulder. "Can you hear me?!" she pleaded.

"L—loud . . . and clear . . . Hokage-sam—ma," he wheezed before being overcome by a series of coughs that were very painful for him, blood dripped past his lip and beads of sweat ran down his face.

"Don't worry, we'll save you! It'll just be a minute," Tsunade promised as she began working on his chest, the familiar green glow reflecting in his dull eyes.

"I'm f-finished . . . that guy—got shrapnel . . . in my—vital o-organs," he said quietly.

"NO! There's still time, I can help you—"

"I-It's okay, I'm all right—with that . . . are the—the kids safe?"

"Yes, they're all safe," Tsunade lied.

"I'm right here," Konohamaru interjected, his voice shaking.

"G-good . . . now I can face—the Third . . . and Asuma," Kotetsu wheezed happily. He grunted and used most of his remaining energy to turn his head towards Izumo's lifeless body, a few tears sliding down his face.

"I—I'll tell . . . Izumo . . . an-and the others . . . you say hi . . . "

"KOTETSU!" Tsunade sobbed, vainly trying to restore a heatbeat, but the chuunin's eyes slowly closed, his last breath left his body, and all that was left was a tiny grin on his face.

"No, please! Please! PLEASE—!"

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune barked fiercly, the sharpness in her voice as effective as a slap across the face. The Godaime stared at her assistant, whose eyes were glistening with tears but a resoulte conviction was etched in her expression.

"We have to help Kakashi, and many others before the day is over," she said a little softer.

After pausing for a few moments Tsunade slowly withdrew her hands from Kotetsu's chest and stole a last glance at Izumo before hardening her expression.

"Let's go," she said as she clutched the amulet she had been using earlier.

* * *

Kakashi was now reduced to a stumbling walk, his chakra almost depleted, but he had to get to Tsunade. He needed to keep fighting.

_What did Shikamaru say her channel was? Better yet, what's my channel?_ He wasn't even sure he was going the right direction. The jounin was tempted to use his ninken, but that would be suicide and his sense of smell and direction wasn't working too well at the moment.

_Must be the blood loss._ The makeshift bandage he had created was all but drenched in his own blood now, he had to get that fixed.

_I wonder what Orochimaru meant by I would find this Tobi interesting . . ._

Without warning he found himself surrounded by Tsunade and her medic team.

"Thank Kami we found you," she smirked.

"Ibiki told us where you were," Sakura said happily, grateful they were able to find her former sensei in time.

"Really? Good," the jounin sighed before fainting from exhaustion.

* * *

In all respects, Kakashi looked horrible. It had taken them longer than the Godaime would have liked to find him, only because he had gone so far off from where the first group was, and because his chakra levels were so dangeroulsy low. For a moment she was afraid he had perished in the battle.

When they found him however, he almost looked dead; his right eye was unfocused, his clothes were torn, small droplets of blood were dripping from a makeshift bandage around his chest that was no longer doing the job, and he had fainted on them almost as soon as they arrived.

As he fell Tsunade caught him in both hands and set to work, first laying him on his back.

"Kisho! Mamorou! Hisa! Leiko! Shizune! Takai! Form a hectagonal shield around his body! Ino and Sakura, I want you to work on repairing that chest wound of his while I restore his chakra!" she ordered as she withdrew the amulet.

"Restore his chakra? But how—" Sakura began.

"Just do as I say! It will work best if you can see the wound so I need you to take off his vest and undershirt!" Tsunade yelled as she began forming a series of hand seals.

Sakura raised her eyebrow. Of course she had undressed countless shinobi before in order to fully treat their wounds, but Kakashi was her former sensei! And almost like a father at that. That would be way too awkward—

"Sakura!"

"H-hai!" The two kunoichi quickly tore off his vest and pulled the shirt over his head, wincing at the bruises and wounds infecting his body. It wasn't just the fresh wounds either that drew their attention, it was the series of scars and old battle wounds that made them shiver. There was just so many of them!

"Now, take off his Hitai-ate and begin the healing process! The rest of you, be prepared!"

The moment the forehead protector was removed, everyone stared at the blood that came from his Sharingan eye, momentarily intrigued.

"Looks like he succeeded in the task," Tsunade muttered, then completed the seals and held the amulet over his left eye.

"Begin!"

Suddenly the amulet glowed a bright blue and those forming a shield grunted as they began containing the energy. Sakura and Ino valiantly worked on the chest wound, all the while watching what Tsunade planned to do.

Now the amulet had a narrow beam of light that was connected to Kakashi's left eye, now open, and it burned as blue as the energy that was connected to it. Tsunade was sitting cross-legged near Kakashi's head and forcibly directed the energy into his eye. After a few moments Kakashi started crying out in pain and began to thrash around in an attempt to get away from the energy being inserted into his eye.

"Sakura! Hold him down while Ino finishes the repairs!" With no time to argue, Sakura quickly left Ino's side and placed both hands firmly one each of his shoulders, rendering him unable to move. She tried to ignore her sensei's yelps of pain, but after a while she had to cringe at the sound. In all her years of going on missions with him and her teammates at her side, she had never heard this sound from him before. Whenever he was in pain it was a dull moan, not a shriek like this. She could only imagine how much whatever Tsunade was doing hurt him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the amulet's blue glow faded and Tsunade snatched it out of the air before it poked Kakashi in the eye. His red eye returned to its normal color and Kakashi involuntarily shut it painfully before passing out, but Sakura wondered if he was even really awake in the first place.

"Finished," Ino panted gratefully as she wiped some sweat from her forehead and after tying a knot in the bandages she had tied around his waist. The six who had formed the shield fell back in relief, trying to restore their own chakra.

"Good work everybody," Tsunade praised, placing the amulet back in her pouch and withdrew some water which she drank gratefully, while everyone else followed suit.

"What exactly did you do, Tsunade-sama?" Leiko asked.

"With the amulet, I gathered the chakra of fallen Sound shinobi and stored it there. Then I just put it all into Kakashi's body via his Sharingan eye, since it depletes him of chakra too easily and this way he is completely ready for another battle," she sighed in exhaustion.

"Could you do it to other shinobi?" Kisho wondered in amazement. "Think of what this could do in a battle! Our warriors would be able to fight endlessly—"

"No," the Hokage interupted. "It will only work on him because this Sharingan of his is connected to his chakra system in such a peculiar way. In all honesty, I'm quite amazed that it worked. When he came to me I was highly skeptical and warned him of the dangers but he insisted, saying that he did not want to be forced out of the battle so easily. I told him I'd only do it once though, because we have no idea of the repercussions it will cause on his body."

At that moment Kakashi stirred and Sakura and Tsunade moved to help him sit up.

"I take it the process worked?" he wondered aloud as he clutched his Sharingan eye before pulling the Hitai-ate over it. "My compliments to your ever impressive abilities, Tsunade-sama." He paused and touched the bandage that covered his chest wound. "And yours," he praised the two kunoichi, who smiled happily. When he grunted and tried to stand up Tsunade placed a firm hand on his shoulders.

"Not so fast," she said sternly. "Your chakra may still be restored but that chest wound needs to heal a little longer or you'll put all of Ino's hard work to waste."

Sakura smirked as she could sense the scowl underneath the mask. "Can I have some water then?" he croaked.

"Here's your pouch," Ino offered as she held it out to the jounin. He mumbled his thanks and snapped the lid off before drinking it directly through his mask. All who were present slightly pouted at this, wishing they would have been granted the chance to see him without the mask.

He apparently didn't seem to notice, because he eagerly finished and placed the water back in his pouch, then grabbed his shirt and vest. Once he was finished he glanced at Tsunade who sighed and nodded her approval, then helped him stand up. He was a little wobbly on his feet for a second, then took a deep breath and gained control of his balance.

With a small smile and slight wave, he took off into the trees, ready for the next battle.

"You're sure he'll be all right?" Sakura worried.

Tsunade sighed. "He should be. Just know that he owes me the right to confine him to bed as long as I say when this is over," she added with a devilish grin.

* * *

Yamato was busy listening to a report from Shikamaru about Kakashi-senpai and his group, when all of the sudden his own group encountered what was supposed to be a clearing, but instead it was as if they had suddenly landed next to an ocean.

He noticed the Hyuuga jounin named Neji tense at the sight as well as Konoha's Weapon's Mistress.

"Something wrong?" the ANBU captain asked, puzzled by their behavior.

Neji sighed. "We've fought him before."

* * *

**So, that's the end of the Kakashi-Kabuto fight! What did you think? It was so hard to think of a new Sharingan technique, but I knew I wanted to do something like Amaterasu, but not the exact same, and at first I thought of a type of black hole, but that was too much like his first one, and then I thought of the whole darkness concept. **_Makurayami_** means 'total darkness' if my sources are correct. I wanted 'Eternal darkness' but I couldn't really find anything like that, and the words I did find weren't cool enough. This also sounds like Mangekyo, so that's a plus.**

**NOTE: If you want to see a drawing I've done of what the eye is supposed to look like, then check it out on my deviantart account. (Remove all spaces of course): **

**gaaraluver1313(dot) deviantart(dot)com /art/ Makurayami-no-Sharingan- 86274050**

**Anyway, here's the beginning of the cry fest. (sob) It was so hard to kill off Izumo and Kotetsu!! I really luv those guys, and think they deserve more screen time. I did my best to make them as cool as I could, because they just seem like those kinda guys, you know? :-( However, this is just the beginning. More and more of our favorite people are going to perish, so keep those tissues handy!**

**Oh, and Udon as well!**


End file.
